THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 

GIFT  OF 

P.  Lennox  Tierney 


COL,  ROSS  OF  PIEDMONT. 


JfcroeL 


BY  JOHN   ESTEN    COOKE, 

AUTHOR     OF 

*SURRY    OF    EAGLES    NEST,"     "MOHUN."    "HILT 
TO   HILT,"   ETC.,    ETC. 


NEW    YORK: 

COPYRIGHT,   1892,  BT 

G.    W.   Dillingham,    Publisher^ 

SUCCESSOR  TO  G.  W.  CARLETON  &  Co. 


CO  NTENTS. 


PART  I. 
THE  STORY  OF  A   CRIME. 

I.  BROUGHT  TOGETHER  .          .  •          . 

II.  MAURICEWOOD       ...... 

III.  NEW  FACES       .  *          .          .          . 

IV.  THE  CRIME.  ...... 

V.  GARY  MAURICE  ..... 

VI.  Two  HILL  PEOPLE  ..... 

VII.  AN  AGREEABLE  ENCOUNTER   .          .          .          .          .31 
VIII.  PROF.  LESNER         .  .  .  .  •     •     •          33 

IX.  COL.  Ross  TAKES  A  NIGHT  RIDE     .           .          .  .37 

X.  DR.  HAWORTH  DISCOVERS  A  LIKENESS  ...  41 

XI    I*ROF.  LESNER'S  THEORY        .           .           .           .  .45 

XII.  JEAN  BAPTISTS      ......  52 

XIII.  COL.  Ross         .           .           .           .           .           .  .58 

XIV.  DR.  HAWORTH'S  IDEA      .....  63 

PART  II. 

COL.  ROSS  AND  DR.  HAWORTH. 
I.  DR.  HAWORTH  is  AFRAID       .  .          .          .          .71 

II.    COL.    ROSS  MAKES  A   MORNING  CALL        ...  75 

III.  IN  THE  LOCKED  ROOM          .          .          .          .          .79 

IV.  SOMETHING  HAPPENS         .....          84 
V.  DR.  HAWORTH  AND  CARY  MAURICE  .          .          .88 

VI.  THE  FAMILY  PHYSICIAN  .....  93 

VII.  AN  OMEN          .           .           .           .          .          .  .99 

VIII.  THE  RESULT  OF  AN  ACCIDENT    ....  101 
IX.  MAY  AND  AUGUST       .          .          .          .          .  .105 

X.  Miss  BURNS  ......        107 

XI.  DR.  HAWORTH'S  CURIOUS  FANCY     .          .          .          .108 


837445 


4  CONTENTS, 

PAGE 

XII.  Miss  BURNS'  MAIL-BAG  .          .          .          .        in 

XIII.  THE  MAIL     .  .  .  .          .  .  .117 

XIV.  THE  REWARD  FOR  HOLDING  A  LAMPSHADE  .          .        119 
XV.  PRIVATE  CORRESPONDENCE  .  .  .  .  .122 

XVI.   THE  WARRANTS  ......        126 

XVII.  THE  CONSTABLE'S  RETURN  ....  131 

PART  III. 
CONVERGING. 

I.  DR.  HAWORTH  ENGAGES  THE  WIRE  TO  LIMA         .        138 

II.  DR.  SEABRIGHT         ......  141 

III.  THE  APPOINTMENT        .....        143 

IV.  THE  ENTRY  IN  THE  LEDGER         .  .          .  146 
V.  THE  PSYCHOLOGY  OF  OPIUM    ....        149 

VI.  JEAN  RETURNS  WITH  GOOD  NEWS  .          .  .  153 

VII.  THE  BOMBSHELL  .  .          .          .  .156 

VIII.  MR.  TIM  MAURICE  is  OUTRAGED,  BUT  RESIGNED.  .  161 

IX.  DR.  HAWORTH  HEARS  FROM  COL.  Ross        .          .        164 

X.  COL.  Ross  VISITS  MRS.  MAURICE  ....  166 

PART  IV. 
THE  CRIMINAL    TRIAL  AT  ABBEYVILLE. 

I.  THE  PAPERS  FROM  LIMA          .  .          .  .172 

II.  AN  OUTRAGED  COMMUNITY  .          .          .  .178 

III.  DR.  HAWORTH'S  FRIEND         ....        180 

IV.  JEAN'S  FRIEND          ......  184 

V.  A  MAN  OF  BUSINESS  RESTING  .  .          .          .185 

VI.     MR.    BURDETTE   WHISTLES     .....    l88 

VII.  THE  OPENING  OF  THE  TRIAL  .  .  .          .191 

VIII.  THE  TESTIMONY  OF  JEAN  BAPTISTE         .  .  .197 

IX.  DR.  SEABRIGHT  AND  OTHERS  ARE  EXAMINED  .        202 

X.  DR.  HAWORTH'S  TESTIMONY  ....  209 

XI.  DR.  HAWORTH  CONCLUDES  HIS  TESTIMONY   .  .        216 

XII.  COL.  Ross  EXPLAINS  .....  223 

XIII.  THE  MAN  .  .  .  .  .  .229 

XIV.  COL.  Ross  ON  THE  SUBJECT  OF  RATTLESNAKES  .  .231 
XV.  MR.  DUNN  INDULGES  IN  A  PROFESSIONAL  WITTICISM       236 

XVI.   MR.  BURDETTE  BESTOWS  HIS  BLESSING          .  .        238 

XVII.   THE  END  OF  THE  TRIAL    .  .  .  .  .241 

XVIII.  AT  PRESENT       ......        244 


COL.  ROSS  OF  PIEDMONT. 


PART   I. 
THE   STORY  OF  A  CRIME. 


BROUGHT  TOGETHER. 

AT  the  end  of  September,  1880,  the  steamer  Argentine  Repub 
lic,  direct  from  Buenos  Ayres,  arrived  at  New  York,  and  one  of  the 
passengers,  registered  as  Dr.  Haworth,  Lima,  was  driven  to  a  hotel 
on  Fifth  avenue,  where  he  made  his  toilet  and  dined  at  his  leisure. 

Dr.  Haworth  was  a  man  of  about  thirty-five,  with  a  face  of  the 
American  type,  brown  hair  and  heavy  mustache,  a  broad  forehead 
and  remarkable  eyes,  which  seemed  to  slumber,  but  were  plainly  on 
the  watch.  His  dress  was  plain  and  neat ;  the  carriage  of  his  per 
son  erect  and  firm.  As  he  walked  down  the  avenue  in  the  after 
noon,  people  more  than  once  turned  to  look  at  him,  which  is  unusual 
in  so  large  a  town  as  New  York. 

Near  Madison  Square  he  came  into  collision  with  a  personage 
hurrying  in  the  opposite  direction — a  gentleman  of  about  his  own 
age,  dressed  in  an  elegant  business  suit,  with  a  handsome  face, 
smiling  lips,  hair  parted  in  the  middle,  and  wearing  eye-glasses. 

"  Why,  Haworth !  What  good  wind  has  blown  you  to  New 
York  ?  "  exclaimed  this  gentleman. 

"  The  south  wind,  my  dear  Burdette,"  replied  Dr.  Haworth, 
cordially  shaking  hands.  "  Come  and  stroll  with  me,  and  tell  me 
the  news." 

"  In  a  moment."  And,  having  called  to  a  person  whom  he  had 
been  in  pursuit  of,  Mr.  Burdette  exchanged  a  few  words  with  him, 
returned,  and  he  and  Dr.  Haworth  walked  down  the  avenue  to 
gether. 


6  BROUGHT  TOGETHER. 

They  were  evidently  old  friends,  and  it  was  obvious  from  their 
conversation  that  smiling  Mr.  Burdette  had  visited  Dr.  Haworth  at 
his  hacienda  near  Lima,  and  retained  delightful  memories  of  the 
visit.  To  his  question  now  what  had  brought  his  friend  to  New 
York,  Dr.  Haworth  replied  quietly  : 

"  To  keep  an  appointment." 

"  Is  it  down  town  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Burdette. 

"  On  the  steps  of  the  City  Hall  at  seven." 

"  Well,  I  am  going  in  that  direction,  and  am  glad  to  have  your 
company.  I  am  looking  up  an  old  gentleman  whose  work  on  the 
'  Opium-Habit '  I  am  publishing.  I  am  afraid  he  is  not  practicing 
his  precepts,  and  I  think  I  shall  find  him  at  one  of  the  '  joints '  in. 
Mott  street." 

Dr.  Haworth  made  no  comment,  and,  turning  out  of  Broadway, 
they  were  soon  near  Chatham  Square,  where,  in  one  of  the  subter 
ranean  opium-dens,  they  found  the  person  of  whom  Mr.  Burdette 
was  in  pursuit.  He  was  a  gray-haired  man  of  about  60  in  appearance, 
and  of  mild  and  benignant  countenance.  A  simple  smile  made  his 
old  face  attractive,  and  he  quietly  yielded  to  Mr.  Burdette's  guidance, 
and  left  the  joint.  Holding  his  arm,  Mr.  Burdette  turned  to  Dr. 
Haworth  and  said,  in  a  whisper : 

"  This  is  a  melancholy  business.  The  poor  old  fellow  came  from 
the  South  to  correct  his  proofs,  and  fell  back  into  his  vice.  I  have 
tried  to  look  after  him,  as  some  friends  of  his  placed  him  in  my 
charge — Col.  Ross  and  Mrs.  Maurice." 

As  these  names  were  uttered  Dr.  Haworth  turned  his  head  sud 
denly. 

"  Col.  Ross  ?  "  he  said. 

"  Yes ;  do  you  know  him  ?  " 

"  I  believe  so." 

"  Well,  the  name  of  this  poor  old  party  is  Prof.  Lesner,  and  as 
his  friends  are  back  from  Canada  on  their  way  South,  I  will  turn 
him  over  to  them.  They  will  no  doubt  be  at  the  opera  to-night,  and 
I  will  see  them." 

Dr.  Haworth  had  listened  in  silence,  but  it  was  plain  that  he  was 
not  losing  a  word. 

"  Come  and  go  with  me,"  said  Mr.  Burdette,  "  and  I  hope  it  is 
distinctly  understood  that  my  humble  cottage  on  the  avenue  is  to  be 
your  headquarters  during  your  stay  in  New  York.  My  coupe  won't 
compare  with  that  splendid  affair  of  yours  at  Lima,  but — " 


BROUGHT  TOGETHER.  j 

"  Thank  you,  my  dear  friend  ;  but  I  leave  New  York  by  the  morn 
ing  train." 

"  Well,  we'll  sup  after  the  opera,  and  I'll  try  to  talk  you  out  of 
that  resolution." 

And  the  friends  parted,  Mr.  Burdette  bearing  off  the  poor  old 
Professor,  and  Dr.  Haworth  going  in  the  direction  of  the  City  Park. 

On  the  steps  of  the  hall  a  young  man  of  18  or  20  was  standing, 
evidently  on  the  look-out  for  some  one.  He  was  a  slender  and 
graceful  youth,  with  black  curly  hair  and  ruddy  cheeks. 

As  Dr.  Haworth  approached,'and  the  gas-light  fell  upon  his  face, 
the  youth  rushed  up  to  him,  seized  his  hand,  and  seemed  about  to 
kiss  it. 

"  Excellency ! "  he  exclaimed,  with  a  French-Spanish  accent ; 
"  Oh,  how  glad  I  am  to  see  you ! " 

Dr.  Haworth 's  face  had  softened,  and  a  bright  smile,  made  it 
winning. 

"  I  really  believe  you  are,"  he  said,  looking  with  great  affection 
into  the  youth's  face.  "  So  you  expected  me  ?  " 

"  I  knew  you  would  be  here  between  the  2oth  and  25th,  as  you 
said." 

"  Well,  here  I  am.  Now  come  with  me.  I  have  something  im 
portant  to  tell  you,  my  dear  Jean." 

On  the  same  night  Dr.  Haworth,  Mr.  Burdette,  and  Jean  were 
at  the  opera.  Mr.  Burdette  was  evidently  in  his  element,  and  ex 
changed  nods  with  a  hundred  friends ;  but  Dr.  Haworth  was  evi 
dently  waiting  for  something. 

As  the  curtain  rose  he  turned  quickly  and  looked  at  one  of  the 
loges.  An  elegantly  dressed  man  of  middle  age,  tall  and  command 
ing  in  person,  had  just  entered  with  a  lady  in  black  silk,  and  a  young 
girl  with  a  face  full  of  freshness  and  attraction.  The  escort  was 
relieving  the  young  lady  of  her  cloak  when  Dr.  Haworth  looked  at 
them,  and  his  air  was  that  of  a  lover. 

"  These  are  old  Prof.  Lesner's  friends,"  said  Mr.  Burdette  indi 
cating  the  party. 

"Yes,"  said  Dr.  Haworth  quietly. 

He  touched  Jean,  who  sat  beside  him,  on  the  arm  and  said : 

"  Do  you  recognize  anybody  yonder  ?  " 

The  youth  looked  in  the  direction  indicated,  and  his  smiling  face 
suddenly  overclouded.  His  smooth  brow  contracted  and  his  eyes 
flashed. 


g  BRO  UGHT  TOGE  TffER. 

"  Sacre  ! "  he  muttered  unconsciously.  "  Yes,  yes,  Excellency ! 
I  should  be  blind  not  to  recognize  that  man." 

"  I  thought  perhaps  you  might  have  forgotten  him." 

"  I  remember  him,  as  he  gave  me  this." 

And  pushing  back  his  hair  the  youth  showed  an  ugly  scar  on  his 
forehead,  apparently  a  cutlass  stroke. 

Dr.  Haworth  nodded. 

"  Very  well,"  he  said,  "  we  may  renew  our  acquaintance  with 
him.  We  are  going  in  his  direction,  and  as  you  will  be  my  travel 
ing  companion,  things  might  so  turn  out  that  you  would  have  an 
opportunity  to  get  even  with  him  for  that  cut." 

"  I  would  like  to  have  the  chance,"  said  Jean,  knitting  his  brows. 

"Very  well.  Remember  my  instructions.  See  that  all  is  in 
order  about  the  carbines.  After  the  opera  go  to  the  hotel.  I  will 
join  you  there  in  an  hour." 

"  Yes,  Excellency — don't  fear  !  Oh  how  glad  I  am  I  am  going 
with  you ! " 

The  performance  was  over,  and  Mr.  Burdette  went  up  to  the 
loge  and  joined  the  Ross-Maurice  party,  to  whom  he  bowed  with 
great  elegance.  It  was  plain  that  he  was  informing  them  on  the 
subject  of  their  new  traveling  companion,  Prof.  Lesner — probably 
urging  them  to  take  him  home  with  them.  Then  they  parted  with 
bows  and  came  into  the  lobby,  where  Dr.  Haworth  awaited  his 
friend. 

As  the  party  passed,  Col.  Ross  did  not  see  Dr.  Haworth.  It  was 
impossible  to  be  certain,  but  a  sudden  flash  of  the  dark  eyes  and 
flush  of  the  cheek  seemed  to  indicate  emotion.  As  to  the  face  of 
Dr.  Haworth,  that  indicated  nothing.  He  simply  moved  his  head 
slightly  as  if  satisfied,  and  accompanied  his  friend  Burdette  in  his 
coupe  to  his  residence  on  the  avenue. 

They  had  an  excellent  supper,  and  when  his  host's  charming 
family  retired,  the  friends  remained  in  confidential  conversation. 
At  last  Dr.  Haworth  rose  to  go. 

"  I  will  come  and  see  you  again  before  I  leave  the  States,"  he 
said. 

"  You  must  not  fail ;  and  good  luck  to  you,  old  fellow ! " 

"  Thank  you !  " 

"  You  have  not  told  me  what  takes  you  South  ?  " 

"  I  should  like  to  see  the  country." 

"That's  strictly  non-committal.    My  own  impression  is  that 


MAURICEWOOD  A 

you  are  going  to  exterminate  somebody.  Come,  tell  your  friend 
everything.  A  man  like  yourself  doesn't  travel  for  mere  amuse 
ment.  You  are  either  going  to  plunge  a  gory  dagger  in  the  recre 
ant  heart  of  somebody,  or  your  mission — observe  the  term — is  to 
penetrate  some  bloody  mystery." 

Dr.  Haworth  unconsciously  looked  at  his  friend  with  quite  a 
piercing  expression,  but  said  nothing. 

"You  see  I've  been  reveling  in  the  seaside  literature,  which  is 
my  delight,"  said  Mr.  Burdette  laughing. 

"  Uo  you  like  that  ?  " 

"  Don't  dodge  the  question  !  Are  you  or  are  you  not  on — well, 
say  a  secret  mission  ?  " 

Dr.  Haworth  made  no  reply.  At  last  he  said  as  he  pressed  his 
friend's  hand : 

"  Did  you  ever  reflect  upon  the  profound  significance  of  one 
word  in  the  English  language  ?  " 

"  What  is  that  ?  " 

"  Perhaps." 

And  without  adding  anything  further  Dr.  Haworth  returned  to 
his  hotel. 

Jean  was  waiting  for  him,  and  exhibited  two  carbines  in  their 
cases,  with  a  full  supply  of  ammunition. 

Dr.  Haworth  tried  the  locks,  made  them  click,  and  was  evidently 
satisfied. 

"  They  may  be  useful  down  yonder,"  he  said.  "  And  now  to 
get  some  sleep." 

On  the  next  morning  he  and  Jean  took  the  train  for  the  South. 


II. 

MAURICEWOOD. 

MRS.  MAURICE,  who  had  stopped  in  New  York  on  her  way 
from  Canada,  was  from  the  South,  and  resided  at  a  very  old  coun 
try  seat  in  what  is  called  the  Piedmont  region — that  is  to  say,  the 
eastern  slope  of  the  long  range  of  mountains  extending  from  Mary* 
land  to  Northern  Georgia. 

The  estate,  which  had  been  in  the  family  for  some  generations, 
was  known  as  "  Mauricewood."  It  was  still  of  large  extent  and  very 


10 

considerable  value  in  spite  of  that  subdivision  which  seems  to  be  the 
fate  of  all  landed  property  in  America.  The  house  stood  on  a  hill 
rounding  off  into  level  fields  of  great  fertility,  and  a  mile  to  the  west 
ward  a  low  range  of  wooded  hills  shut  in  the  prospect.  In  other 
directions,  however,  the  view  was  unimpeded.  Several  additional 
country  seats  were  visible  in  the  distance,  and  a  few  miles  off  was 
the  Town  of  Abbeyville,  the  nearest  postoffice. 

Mrs.  Maurice  was  the  widow  of  a  Mr.  John  Maurice  who  had 
died  many  years  before.  She  was  tall,  delicately  beautiful,  a  person 
of  great  gentleness,  and  managed  her  household  with  a  mild  good 
sense  which  accomplished  a  great  deal  without  producing  the  least 
friction.  She  was  very  much  beloved  by  everybody,  especially  her 
old  servants,  who  had  all  remained  with  her,  their  emancipation 
having  apparently  produced  no  effect  upon  the  relations  of  the  mem 
bers  of  the  household.  The  footfalls  were  as  quiet,  the  tones  as 
low  and  respectful,  and  it  seemed  to  be  the  general  conviction  of 
man  and  maid  that  their  old  home  and  mistress  were  the  best  home 
and  mistress  they  would  be  apt  to  find. 

As  to  the  estate,  that  was  managed  by  Mr.  Timothy  Maurice,  a 
bachelor  uncle,  who  had  always  lived  at  the  place.  He  was  a  lively 
little  fellow,  devoted  to  field  sports  and  to  the  game  of  chess.  He 
was  devoted  to  his  niece,  Mrs.  Maurice,  and  a  careful  manager  of 
her  property.  What  he  said  was  acquiesced  in  by  everybody ;  he 
was  consulted  by  all ;  and  indeed  what  "  Uncle  Tim  "  did  not  know 
was  generally  conceded  to  be  not  worth  knowing.  His  personal 
portrait  may  be  drawn  with  a  stroke  of  the  pen.  He  was  about  60, 
florid,  with  gray  hair,  a  wiry  figure,  smiled  habitually,  and  was  rapid 
in  all  his  movements.  Every  morning  he  rode  over  the  estate  carry 
ing  his  fowling-piece  for  the  chance  of  a  shot  at  something.  In  the 
evening  he  played  chess  with  Mrs.  Maurice  or  Miss  Gary. 

Miss  Gary  Maurice  was  a  fresh-looking  little  beauty  of  about  19, 
with  brown  hair,  worn  in  bangs  very  low  on  her  forehead,  large  blue 
eyes  set  wide  apart,  a  rosy  complexion  and  an  air  of  cheerfulness. 
She  had  been  thoroughly  educated  by  an  excellent  governess,  resid 
ing  at  Mauricewood,  and  played  and  sang  very  sweetly.  She  was 
rather  domestic  in  her  tastes,  liked  horseback  riding,  read  all  the 
novels  she  could  lay  her  hands  upon,  and  had  never  cared  for  any 
body  but  her  immediate  family,  which  might  have  been  owing  to 
the  fact  that  there  were  few  young  men  in  the  vicinity  of  Maurice- 
wood  who  were  calculated  to  impress  the  fancies  of  maidens. 


MAVRICEWOOD.  H 

One  suitor  Miss  Gary  seemed  to  have,  or  to  be  going  to  have — 
a  certain  Col.  Ross,  who  lived  some  miles  from  Mauricewood.  He 
was  a  man  of  from  40  to  45,  but  he  never  alluded  to  his  age,  and 
his  estate  was  ample.  He  lived  in  very  handsome  style,  as  his  ele 
gant  drag,  driven  by  a  neat  servant  and  drawn  by  a  pair  of  superb 
bays,  indicated.  In  his  appearance  he  was  a  mixture  of  the  fine 
gentleman  and  the  military  man.  He  was  punctiliously  polite,  wore 
kid  gloves  and  a  jaunty  hat,  and  had  a  delicate  black  mustache  and 
imperial,  and  smiled  and  bowed  frequently.  He  was  said  to  have 
been  in  the  United  States  Navy,  and  then  to  have  resigned  and  en 
tered  the  Chilian  army.  He  had  returned  to  the  States  a  year  or 
so  before,  on  a  "  mission,"  it  was  said,  connected  with  the  interests 
of  a  guano  or  nitrate  company,  engaged  in  exploiting  the  resources 
of  Peru.  He  was  frequently  absent  in  New  York  or  Washington, 
but  resided  a  part  of  the  year  on  his  estate,  and  having  seen  Miss 
Gary  Maurice  had  been  presented  to  her,  and  was  now  a  tolerably 
constant  visitor. 

Whether  his  attentions  had  made  any  impression  on  Miss  Gary 
was  not  known.  It  was  not  unreasonable  to  suppose  that  they  had 
in  some  degree  flattered  her  vanity,  and  when  people  saw  the  young 
lady  and  her  mother  leave  Mauricewood,  during  this  summer,  under 
Col.  Ross'  escort,  they  said  succinctly  in  provincial  phrase,  that  it 
was  "  going  to  be  a  be." 

Mrs.  Maurice  had  been  persecuted  by  Miss  Gary  for  a  long 
time  to  take  a  Northern  tour.  The  young  lady  was  dying,  she  said, 
to  see  Niagara  and  the  Falls  of  Montmorenci,  and  as  it  was  always 
a  very  difficult  matter  for  Mrs.  Maurice  to  deny  her  daughter  any 
thing,  she  finally  yielded,  and  it  had  been  the  intention  to  carry  off 
Uncle  Tim  with  them.  At  this  Uncle  Tim  had  uttered  outcries  and 
protests.  Everything  would  go  to  wrack  and  ruin  ;  his  presence  at 
Mauricewood  was  indispensable.  The  home  would  burn  down, 
general  destruction  would  ensue— which  meant  that  Uncle  Tim 
abominated  traveling,  and  thought  there  was  nothing  worth  atten 
tion  beyond  the  Mauricewood  horizon. 

He  groaned  and  consented,  however,  when  to  his  immense  relief 
Col.  Ross  called  and  casually  observed  that  he  was  about  to  visit 
Montreal  on  business.  When  he  heard  of  the  project  of  the  ladies 
he  promptly  offered  to  escort  them.  He  was  entirely  at  their  orders. 
His  business  in  Montreal  could  be  attended  to  in  two  or  three  hours. 
The  best  route— the  one  he  had  in  fact  intended  to  take — was  by 


FACES. 

way  of  New  York,  Albany  and  Niagara,  then  down  the  St.  Lawr«ncfi 
by  the  Thousand  Isles,  and  nothing  would  please  him  more  than  to 
return  by  the  historic  City  ot  Quebec,  which  he  had  never  visited. 

There  was  no  resisting  Col.  Ross'  cordial  and  urgent  offer. 
Uncle  Tim  nodded  significantly  to  Mrs.  Maurice,  and  she  accepted 
with  thanks.  The  tour  followed.  Col.  Ross  made  himself  not  only 
useful,  but  extremely  agreeable,  and  by  the  time  they  had  returned 
to  New  York  on  their  way  southward  it  became  plain  that  the  gal 
lant  colonel  was  very  much  interested  indeed  in  one  of  his  traveling 
companions.  If  for  any  reason  Dr.  Haworth  had  been  curious  on 
that  subject,  he  might  have  had  his  doubts  dispelled  by  the  manner 
in  which  Col.  Ross  had  wrapped  Miss  Cary  Maurice's  cloak  around 
her  shoulders  at  the  theater. 

When  the  party  reached  home,  their  escort  bowed,  smiled,  and 
declared  that  the  trip  had  been  delightful  to  him,  pressed  the  hands 
of  both  ladies  with  deferential  cordiality,  and,  entering  his  equipage 
which  awaited  him,  drove  away. 


III. 

NEW  FACES. 

ABOUT  a  week  after  the  return  of  the  ladies  Mr.  Tim  Maurice 
mounted  his  horse,  fowling-piece  in  hand,  to  take  his  morning  ride. 

He  did  not  return  until  late  in  the  afternoon,  which  was  very  un 
usual  with  him,  and  apologized  for  keeping  dinner  waiting. 

"  The  fact  is,  my  dear  niece,"  he  said  to  Mrs.  Maurice,  as  they 
sat  down  to  dinner,  "  I  have  had  quite  an  adventure." 

He  then  turned  to  Miss  Cary,  and  said  in  a  low  tone,  obstructed 
by  roast  mutton : 

"  A  mysterious  stranger,  Cadie  " — which  was  his  pet  name  for 
Miss  Cary.  As  the  young  lady  looked  at  him  inquiringly,  he  said 
still  more  confidentially : 

"  Two  mysterious  strangers  ! " 

As  this  was  really  too  tantalizing  Mr.  Tim  Maurice  was  ordered 
to  explain  himself  at  once,  which  he  proceeded  to  do. 

His  ride  had  taken  him  toward  the  "  hill  country,"  as  the  wood 
ed  range  west  of  Mauricewood  was  called,  and  just  at  the  foot  of 
the  hills  he  had  noticed  a  hawk  of  great  size  perched  up  in  a  dead 


FACEZ.  -^ 

tree.  As  he  had  a  great  antipatny  10  nawks,  ne  sam,  owing  .o  .115 
fondness  for  spring  chickens,  he  dismounted  and  crept  up  to  get  a 
shot  at  the  enemy.  When  he  thought  he  was  in  range  he  leveled 
his  fowling-piece  and  fired  both  barrels  in  succession,  but  the  hawk 
spread  his  wings  and  soared  off  with  silent  contempt. 

"  And  you  call  that  an  adventure,  Uncle  Tim  ?  "  said  Miss  Gary, 
with  derision. 

"  Wait,  my  dear — never  interrupt.     The  adventure  is  coming." 

"  Did  the  hawk  show  defiance  or  laugh  in  scorn  as  he  soared 
away  ?  " 

"  Interrupting  !  interrupting  !    No,  he  did  not  even  soar  away." 

"  You  said  he  did." 

"  I  said  he  soared  off,  which  is  a  different  expression  from  away 
—a  fact  you  are,  perhaps,  ignorant  of,  my  angel,  owing  to  your  de 
fective  education." 

"  He  only  soared  off,  then — " 

"  When  he  was  suddenly  arrested  in  his  towering  flight,  to  use 
the  style  of  your  favorite  romances.  In  other  words,  he  dropped 
with  a  bullet  through  him.  It  is  unnecessary  to  say  that  his  fall 
was  preceded  by  the  crack  of  a  gun,  and  I  saw  a  light  cloud  of 
smoke  rise  from  some  undergrowth  near.  A  gentleman  then  came 
out,  followed  by  a  youth,  who  seemed  to  be  carrying  a  game-bag, 
and  went  and  picked  up  the  hawk.  I  joined  him  and  he  bowed, 
after  which  we  indulged  in  mutual  introductions." 

"  Who  was  he  ?  " 

"  A  Dr.  Haworth,  who  has  stopped  for  a  few  days  at  old  Hunter 
Wilson's — one  of  the  hill  people,  you  know.  He  is  traveling  on  horse 
back  to  hunt  and  see  the  country.  I  invited  him  to  come  and  visit  us." 

"  That  proves  to  me  that  he  is  a  gentleman,  uncle,"  said  Mrs. 
Maurice  in  her  gentle  voice.  "  You  are  so  terribly  aristocratic." 

"  A  gentleman  ?  Certainly  he  is  ;  and  he  shot  that  hawk  with 
a  bullet  from  a  jewel  of  a  breech-loading  carbine.  I  never  saw  a 
prettier  affair." 

"  Do  you  think  he  will  come  ?  " 

"  He  said  he  would." 

"  You  have  not  told  us  about  him,"  said  Miss  Gary. 

"  About  him  ?  Oh.  you  mean  his  looks — that's  the  first  thing 
you  angelic  beings  think  of.  Well,  he's  good-looking,  quiet  in  man 
ner,  and  well  dressed.  His  companion  was  a  fine-looking  young 
fellow,  as  bright  as  day." 


14  NEW  FACES. 

"  Well,  you  are  evidently  pleased  with  your  new  friends,  uncle," 
said  Mrs.  Maurice,  "  and  I  shall  be  glad  to  see  Dr.  Haworth." 

"  I  invited  him  to  drop  in  to-morrow.  I  think  from  the  expres 
sion  of  his  face  that  he  plays  chess,"  said  Mr.  Tim  Maurice,  thought 
fully. 

"  Then  you  and  he  will  swear  eternal  friendship,"  exclaimed  Miss 
Gary — "  that  is,  if  he  doesn't  beat  you." 

And  the  subject  of  Dr.  Haworth  having  apparently  been  exhaust 
ed,  the  conversation  busied  itself  with  other  matters. 

On  the  next  afternoon  Dr.  Haworth  made  his  appearance  at 
Mauricewood,  and  was  presented  to  the  ladies.  His  manners  were 
marked  by  a  courteous  composure,  and  as  Mr.  Tim  Maurice  found, 
to  his  delight,  that  he  was  an  excellent  chess-player,  it  seemed  prob 
able  that  the  eternal  friendship  predicted  by  Miss  Gary  would  be 
sworn.  When  the  visitor  retired,  declining  the  invitation,  usual 
in  the  country,  to  spend  the  night,  the  general  verdict  was  flat 
tering. 

"  Dr.  Haworth  is  a  very  nice  gentleman,"  said  Mrs.  Maurice,  with 
her  sweet  smile. 

"  And  very  handsome,"  said  Miss  Gary. 

"  There !  I  said  that  was  the  first  requisite,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Tim 
Maurice.  "  Yes,  he  is  both  a  gentleman  and  a  fine-looking  man ; 
but  he  is  more  than  that — he  plays  a  number  one  game  of  chess ! " 

The  acquaintance  between  Dr.  Haworth  and  the  inmates  of 
Mauricewood  having  begun  in  this  simple  manner  soon  became 
friendly  and  unceremonious.  The  guest  was  apparently  pleased 
with  his  sojourn  in  the  upland  region,  and  took  long  excursions  on 
foot  or  horseback  to  places  in  the  vicinity ;  but  his  evenings  were 
generally  spent  at  Mauricewood.  He  played  interminable  games  of 
chess  with  Mr.  Tim  Maurice,  and  was  very  quiet  and  courteous  in 
his  demeanor  to  the  ladies.  One  evening  after  his  departure  Mr. 
Tim  Maurice  said : 

"  I  have  invited  Dr.  Haworth  to  make  us  a  visit,  but  he  has 
refused." 

"  We  should  be  glad  to  see  him,"  said  Mrs.  Maurice,  "  he  is  very 
agreeable." 

"  What  do  you  say,  Cadie  ?  " 

"  It  is  a  matter  of  indifference  to  me.    He  refused,  you  say  ?  " 

"  Yes,  he  is  afraid  of  giving  trouble,  though  I  assured  him  he 
would  give  none  at  all." 


THE   CRIME.  jlj 

"  Very  well,"  said  Miss  Gary.    "  I  suppose  there  is  an  end  of  it." 
"  I  shall  invite  him  again — shall  I,  my  dear  niece  ?  " 
"  Of  course,  if  you  wish,  uncle,"  said  Mrs.  Maurice. 
"  What  do  you  say,  Cadie  ?  " 

"  If  you  choose,"  said  Miss  Gary,  with  the  rising  inflection  on  the 
word  choose. 


IV. 

THE  CRIME. 

ONE  day  Dr.  Haworth  rode  to  Mauricewood  and  found  Mr.  Tim 
Maurice  just  back  from  his  morning  ride.  The  ladies  had  driven 
out,  and  the  duties  of  host  having  thus  devolved  solely  upon  Mr. 
Maurice,  he  received  his  visitor  with  unusual  cordiality. 

"  Glad  to  see  you,  my  dear  Doctor — no  one  could  be  more  wel 
come,"  he  exclaimed ;  "  come  in.  Sorry  the  ladies  are  not  at  home, 
but  they  will  soon  return." 

Dr.  Haworth  bowed  courteously,  and  looked  up  at  the  old  man 
sion  with  its  stacks  of  chimneys,  its  long  rows  of  stone-capped  win 
dows,  and  the  nearly  encircling  veranda. 

"  These  old  houses  have  a  great  attraction  for  me,"  he  said.  "  I 
was  admiring  the  grounds  and  old  oaks  as  I  rode  up.  There  is  the 
charm  of  age  and  permanence  about  such  places ;  the  interior  ar 
rangements  only  are  sometimes  defective." 

"  Mauricewood  is  a  very  well-planned  establishment,"  said  Mr. 
Tim  Maurice,  "  and  if  you  wish  I  will  show  you  through  it." 

"  I  confess  I  should  like  to  look  at  it,"  said  Dr.  Haworth,  "  if  it 
would  not  annoy  the  ladies." 

"  With  pleasure — nothing  would  please  me  better." 

And  taking  Dr.  Haworth 's  arm  the  old  gentleman  entered  the 
house. 

"  You  see  the  general  plan  is  an  L,"  he  said,  "  only  the  base  line 
is  to  the  left.  On  the  right  here  you  have  the  drawing-room,  and 
behind  it  the  dining-room.  To  the  left  are  two  chambers,  a  large 
one  in  front  and  a  small  one  in  rear,  and  the  winding  staircase  in 
rear  of  the  hall  leads  to  the  second  and  third  floors,  on  which  other 
chambers  open." 

"  An  excellent  arrangement,  as  the  main  hall  is  left  unincum- 
bered,"  said  Dr.  Haworth. 


1 6  THE   CRIME. 

"  Excellent — there  is  nothing  I  like  more  than  a  good,  broad  hall, 
with  a  lofty  ceiling,  oak  cornices  and  oak  floor  scrubbed  until  it 
shines.  We  manage  to  keep  up  the  scrubbing.  The  old  people 
there  on  the  wall  would  turn  pale  if  it  was  overlooked."  He  laughed 
and  rubbed  his  hands.  "  There  is  a  great  deal  of  fine  wainscoting 
and  other  woodwork  in  the  various  rooms,"  he  said,  "  particularly  in 
that  to  the  left  of  the  hall." 

"  I  should  be  pleased  to  look  at  it,"  said  Dr.  Haworth,  walking 
with  a  matter-of-fact  air  toward  the  room  in  question,  and  laying 
his  hand  on  the  knob.  The  door  was  locked. 

"  I  am  sorry  I  cannot  show  you  that  room,"  said  Mr.  Tim 
Maurice  rather  sadly.  "  It  is  never  opened." 

"  Never  opened  ?  " 

"  My  poor  brother  James  was  murdered  in  that  room." 

"  Your  brother — murdered  ?  " 

"  Yes,  yes,  my  dear  Doctor — a  melancholy  family  affair.  The 
room  has  been  closed  for  nearly  twenty  years — no  human  being  has 
entered  it." 

Dr.  Haworth  remained  silent,  and  his  companion  wiped  his  fore 
head  with  a  red  bandana  handkerchief,  as  if  endeavoring  to  remove 
some  unpleasant  memory. 

"  I  see  you  are  surprised,"  he  said,  "  and  nothing  is  more  natural. 
But  the  fact  is  just  as  I  state.  My  elder  brother,  James  Maurice, 
was  murdered  in  that  chamber  during  his  sleep,  and  it  has  never 
been  occupied  by  any  one  since  that  time." 

"  You  interest  me  deeply.  I  need  not  say  that  I  am  also  a  little 
shocked,"  said  Dr.  Haworth.  "  Who  was  the  murderer,  and  what 
was  his  motive  ?  " 

The  old  gentleman  shook  his  head  sorrowfully,  and  replied  : 

"  The  whole  affair  is  a  mystery  to  this  day." 

"  Was  no  one  suspected  ?  " 

"  Yes,  unhappily.  I  say  unhappily  because  I  do  not  believe  that 
the  person  charged  with  the  crime  had  anything  to  do  with  it." 

"  Who  was  the  person  ?  " 

"  A  Mr.  Ducis  of  the  neighborhood,  one  of  the  most  honorable 
men  I  have  ever  known." 

"  How  could  such  a  person  have  been  accused  of  murder — and 
cowardly  murder,  since  you  say  that  Mr.  Maurice  was  murdered  in 
his  sleep  ?  " 

"  It  is  an  old  story  and  a  very  sad  one,  Doctor,"  said  Mr.  Tim. 


THE   CRIME.  I*f 

Maurice,  sighing.  "  None  of  our  family  ever  believed  that  Mr.  Duels 
was  guilty." 

"  Was  he  formally  charged  with  the  crime  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"Tried?" 

"  Yes." 

«  And ?  " 

"  Found  guilty  on  what  seemed  to  be  very  strong  circumstantial 
evidence." 

"Well,  that  is  a  gloomy  incident  of  your  family  history,  Mr. 
Maurice,"  said  Dr.  Haworth.  "  I  have  always  felt  an  interest  in 
such  things — but  it  would  perhaps  be  painful  to  you  to  dwell  further 
on  the  subject." 

"  Not  at  all,"  said  Mr.  Tim  Maurice,  "  it  is  rather  sad,  but  I  will 
tell  you  the  circumstances — it  will  not  take  long.  The  owner  of 
Mauricewood  at  that  time  was  my  brother  James,  and  the  household 
consisted  of  himself,  his  wife,  and  daughter — the  present  Mrs. 
Maurice,  who  kept  her  own  name  by  marrying  her  first  cousin,  John 
Maurice.  I  was  also  one  of  the  family,  as  I  never  cared  to  marry. 
Well,  my  brother  was  a  man  of  about  60  at  the  time,  and  of  very 
social  temper,  but,  when  aroused,  his  passions  were  hot.  He  lived 
with  great  elegance  and  was  careless  in  money  matters  ;  so  it  hap 
pened  that  when  his  daughter  Ellen  came  to  be  married  he  was  very 
much  troubled  about  her  dower.  Young  John  Maurice,  her  intended 
husband,  was  only  moderately  well  off,  and  my  brother  was  anxious 
under  the  circumstances  to  assist  the  young  couple  in  beginning 
life." 

"  A  natural  wish,"  said  Dr.  Haworth,  who  listened  with  attention. 

"  Certainly.  Well,  there  was  trouble  about  that.  My  brother 
had  no  ready  resources,  and  a  mortgage  on  his  land  was  not  to  be 
thought  of — it  was  opposed  to  all  the  traditions  of  the  family.  He 
therefore  had  recourse  to  a  friend  who  had  borrowed  a  considerable 
sum  of  money  from  him,  a  Mr.  Ducis." 

"  Yes." 

"  Mr.  Ducis,  it  seems,  resented  this,  or  perhaps  took  offense  at 
some  fancied  slight  conveyed  in  the  tone  of  my  brother's  note  to 
him.  However  that  may  be,  he  had  an  angry  interview  with  my 
poor  brother  on  the  subject,  and  was  said  to  have  denounced  him 
as  a  skinflint,  or  in  some  other  insulting  manner.  He  would  pay  the 
amount,  he  said,  if  he  was  compelled  to  sell  every  acre  of  his  land ; 


!8  THE  CRT  ME. 

and  he  did  dispose  of  a  considerable  tract,  it  seems,  and  paid  the 
amount  of  his  indebtedness  in  gold  and  bank-notes.  An  unfortunate 
altercation  occurred  on  this  occasion.  From  words  the  old  friends 
came  to  blows,  and  then  some  bystanders  dragged  them  apart." 

"  An  unhappy  affair." 

"  A  most  unhappy  one,  considering  the  characters  of  the  two 
men,  and  their  long  friendship.  Mr.  Ducis  was  universally  respect 
ed.  He  was  a  man  of  elegant  culture  and  an  enthusiastic  student 
of  mineralogy  and  geology ;  most  amiable,  like  my  brother,  when 
nothing  occurred  to  irritate  him  ;  and  here  the  two  old  friends  had 
come  to  a  personal  struggle,  calling  names  and  striking  blows  at 
each  other.  Well,  well,  Mr.  Ducis  went  away  in  a  rage,  declaring 
that  he  would  have  my  brother's  blood." 

"  An  unfortunate  expression." 

"  Yes ;  but  to  end  my  sad  story.  The  scene  between  my  poor 
brother  and  Mr.  Ducis  occurred  a  few  days  before  the  marriage,  and 
the  day  for  the  ceremony  came.  As  Ellen  was  very  popular  she 
had  received  many  presents,  a  portion  of  which  were  laid  out  in  the 
apartment  yonder,  now  closed,  and  in  the  evening  the  ceremony  took 
place. 

"  A  great  number  of  friends  attended,  and  the  house  was  full  of 
merriment  to  a  late  hour,  when  the  guests  finally  departed.  Well, 
everybody  had  retired,  and  the  whole  establishment  was  silent,  when, 
just  as  I  was  going  to  bed,  about  2  in  the  morning,  I  heard  a  cry 
from  the  lower  floor.  I  ran  hastily  down,  and  hearing  groans  from 
the  room  yonder,  hastened  toward  it.  I  knew  they  must  proceed 
from  my  brother.  During  the  afternoon  the  bride's  chamber  had 
been  changed — she  preferred  one  up  stairs — and  my  brother,  who 
habitually  slept  in  this  room,  returned  to  his  own  apartment." 

"  Yes." 

"  I  ran  in  and  saw  a  fearful  sight.  My  brother  was  stretched 
groaning  upon  the  bed,  with  the  clothing  thrown  about  as  if  in  a 
violent  struggle — his  wife  had  started  up,  shaking  with  fright,  and 
well-nigh  paralyzed,  it  seemed,  by  what  had  occurred.  The  glim 
mering  night-taper  showed  me  all  this." 

"  It  must  have  been  shocking." 

"  It  was  really  frightful.  I  ran  into  the  dining-room  for  some 
brandy,  and  I  was  hastening  back  when  I  met  a  person  coming  out 
of  the  room.  This  was  a  Mrs.  Pitts — a  woman  who  performed  the 
functions  of  a  sort  of  head  servant,  and  was  kept  because  she  was 


THE   CRIME.  jg 

useful,  not  because  she  was  much  liked.  When  she  saw  me  she 
stopped  and  stared  at  me  in  silence.  I  noticed  that  both  her  hands 
were  under  her  apron. 

" '  What  do  you  mean  by  standing  there  in  that  idiotic  way  ? '  I 
said. 

"  She  only  made  some  muttered  reply  as  I  hurried  by  her  into 
the  chamber.  My  brother  was  dead." 

The  old  gentleman  drew  a  long  breath  as  if  the  memory  of  the 
scene  oppressed  him. 

"But  what  was  the  manner  of  his  death — and  who  was  the 
murderer  ?  " 

Mr.  Tim  Maurice  shook  his  head. 

"  One  question  is  nearly  as  difficult  as  the  other.  But  there  was 
reason  to  believe  that  my  poor  brother  had  come  to  his  end  in  a 
peculiarly  barbarous  manner." 

"  Barbarous  ?  " 

"That  he  was  struck  heavily  with  an  iron  instrument  on  the 
temple  or  behind  the  ear — such  an  instrument  was  found  on  the 
floor." 

"  What  was  it  ?  " 

"  A  small  hammer,  such  as  amateur  geologists  use  in  their  ex 
cursions." 

"  Geologists  ?  " 

"  Yes,  and  the  only  one  in  the  country  was  Mr.  Ducis'.  He 
habitually  carried  such  a  hammer  in  his  rides  to  chip  off  specimens 
of  rock,  and  the  one  discovered  on  the  floor  was  supposed  to  belong 
to  him." 

"  That  was  fatal." 

"  It  was  not  all.  The  murderer  had  evidently  entered  from  the 
veranda — the  window  was  open.  On  the  veranda  was  found  a  buck 
skin  riding-glove  such  as  Mr.  Ducis  generally  wore." 

Dr.  Haworth  shook  his  head. 

"  That  ended  all  reasonable  doubt,  I  suppose." 

"  There  was  even  more.  The  amount  paid  in  gold  and  bank 
notes  by  Mr.  Ducis  to  my  brother,  which  had  been  placed  on  a  table, 
had  disappeared." 

"  Murder  and  theft  combined,"  said  Dr.  Haworth. 

"  The  only  question  was,  who  had  committed  the  murder  and 
the  theft." 

"  Could  ther$  be  any  doubt  ?  "  said  Dr.  Haworth,  in  a  tone  show- 


2O  THE  CRIME. 

ing  some  surprise.  "  You  stated,  sir,  I  remember,  that  your  family 
never  believed  Mr.  Ducts  to  be  guilty — but  how  could  they  doubt  it  ? 
I  concede  that  the  evidence  was  purely  circumstantial,  but  then  cir 
cumstantial  evidence,  when  it  is  cumulative,  is  of  irresistible  force. 
It  is  a  chain  which  grows  stronger  with  every  link  which  is  added." 

Mr.  Tim  Maurice  sighed  and  said  : 

"  That  appears  reasonable,  but — " 

"  Consider,  sir,"  said  Dr.  Haworth,  interrupting  him  with  the  air 
of  a  man  anxious  to  establish  his  point,  "  two  friends  have  an  alter 
cation  ;  a  violent  quarrel  follows ;  one  is  heard  to  say  that  he  will 
have  the  other's  blood ;  and  the  murder  follows,  committed  by 
means  of  a  weapon  the  ownership  of  which  is  traced  to  the  man 
who  has  made  the  threat.  Then  his  glove,  too,  is  found  near  the 
spot,  and  the  money  paid  by  him  in  the  morning  has  disappeared. 
Is  it  possible  to  doubt  that  Mr.  Ducis  is  the  criminal,  and  that  he 
meant  what  he  said  when  he  uttered  the  word  '  blood '  ?  He  no 
doubt  knew  that  his  enemy  habitually  slept  in  that  room,  which  was 
accessible  from  the  veranda,  and  duly  committed  the  murder  and 
robbery." 

Mr.  Tim  Maurice  sighed  again : 

"  What  you  say  is  very  much  like  the  reasoning  of  the  prosecut 
ing  attorney  on  the  trial,"  he  replied,  "but — " 

"  The  evidence  justified  his  theory — did  it  not  ?  "  said  Dr.  Ha 
worth  with  an  air  of  conviction. 

"  Well,  the  array  of  circumstances,  I  am  afraid,  was  very  strong. 
It  was  shown  that  poor  Mr.  Ducis  had  been  obliged  to  sacrifice  his 
property  to  raise  the  money ;  that  he  had  spoken  with  violence  when 
he  said  that  he  would  have  my  brother's  blood — and  had  even  used 
similar  expressions  to  others  after  the  quarrel." 

"  The  only  weak  point,"  said  Dr.  Haworth,  thoughtfully,  "  is  the 
improbability  that  a  person  of  the  character  you  attribute  to  Mr. 
Ducis — an  honorable  gentlemen — would  have  disturbed  the  money." 

Mr.  Maurice  sighed  again. 

It  seemed  that  sighing  was  to  be  a  stated  performance  of  Mr. 
Tim  Maurice's  during  the  interview. 

"  Unfortunately  there  was  evidence  as  to  that,  too,"  he  said. 

"  As  to  the  theft ! — the  money  ?  " 

"  Mr.  Ducis  was  heard  to  say  that  he  would  recover  the  amount." 

Dr.  Haworth  shook  his  head. 

"  I  am  afraid  that  concludes  the  matter,"  he  said.    "  It  is  true 


THE  CRIME.  21 

Mr.  Ducis  may  have  spoken  hastily,  and  in  a  moment  of  passion— or 
may  have  merely  intended  to  say  that  he  would  '  recover  at  law ' 
from  some  one,  on  the  plea  of  a  forced  and  unfair  sale  of  his  prop 
erty.  But  the  conjecture  is  vague,  and  could  have  had  little  force." 

'*  It  was  urged  by  his  counsel,  who  stated  that  such  was  his 
meaning ;  and  further,  that  the  threat  to  have  my  brother's  blood 
meant  a  personal  encounter — a  duel." 

"  A  natural  explanation — but  the  hammer  and  the  glove  ?  " 

"  He  denied  that  the  glove  belonged  to  him." 

"  And  the  hammer — the  murderer's  weapon  ?  " 

"  He  acknowledged  that  it  was  similar  to  one  he  was  in  the 
habit  of  using — he  had  two  or  three  like  it — but  was  unable  to  ex 
plain  how  his  own — if  it  was  his  own — had  got  into  my  brother's 
chamber." 

"  A  fatal  circumstance.  Was  no  other  defense  set  up  but  this 
general  denial  of  the  charge  ?  " 

"  One  strong  plea — an  alibi." 

"  Ah  !  an  alibi  ?  That  is  a  very  strong  plea,  indeed,  Mr.  Maurice, 
as  it  makes  all  others  unnecessary.  Was  it  established  ?  " 

"  Unhappily  it  was  not.  Mr.  Ducis  alleged  that  on  the  night  of 
the  murder  he  was  in  an  adjoining  county.  He  had  ridden  to  a 
warehouse  on  the  railway,  about  fifteen  miles  distant,  to  purchase 
some  fertilizers,  and  after  doing  so,  as  it  was  late  in  the  evening,  he 
had  spent  the  night  with  a  friend  in  the  neighborhood." 

"  If  he  could  show  that  his  innocence  was  established.  Could 
he?" 

"  He  failed  to  do  so — I  will  explain.  When  sworn  on  the  trial,  the 
friend  with  whom  he  had  spent  the  night  was  unable  to  testify  posi 
tively  as  to  the  day." 

"  But  the  warehouse  man — the  purchase  of  the  fertilizers  ?  Some 
record  must  have  been  made  of  the  transaction." 

"  Yes — Mr.  Ducis  stated  that  he  had  made  the  purchase  on  the 
e/ening  of  the  7th  of  May,  the  date  of  my  brother's  murder,  which 
took  place  the  same  night.  When  the  ledger  at  the  warehouse  was 
examined,  the  date  of  the  purchase  was  found  to  be  the  8th. 

"  That  was  conclusive,  unless — " 

Dr.  Haworth  stopped  and  seemed  to  be  reflecting. 

"  What  do  you  mean,  Doctor  ?  " 

"  A  curious  idea  occurred  to  me.  Observe  that  the  question  is 
the  guilt  of  Mr.  Ducis  or  some  unknown  person — since  the  fact  of 


22  CARY  MAURICE. 

the  murder  was  established.  If  Mr.  Duels  did  not  commit  the 
crime,  somebody  else  did." 

"  That  is  unanswerable." 

"  Well,  now,  adopt  the  theory  that  this  some  one  wanted  to 
shield  himself  by  sacrificing  Mr.  Ducis.  He  obtains  possession  of 
or  provides  himself  with  the  glove  and  hammer  and  places  them 
near  the  scene  of  the  crime.  Then  discovering  afterwards  that  Mr. 
Ducis  could  prove  an  alibi  he  takes  steps  to  defeat  that.  The  real 
murderer  learns  the  object  of  his  victim's  absence  from  home — 
follows  and  ascertains  the  purchase  of  the  fertilizers — obtains  access 
to  the  warehouse  books,  and  alters  the  date.  Erasure  is  easy,  and 
when  skillfully  executed  is  difficult  to  detect." 

Mr.  Tim  Maurice  sighed  once  more. 

"  The  ledger  was  produced  in  court,  and  there  was  no  sign  of 
any  erasure,"  he  said. 

"  Then  the  plea  was  necessarily  of  no  effect — it  was  probably 
the  last  resort  of  a  desperate  man.  All  was  traced  home  to  him — 
his  motive  accounted  for.  Who  other  than  himself  could  hare  had 
any  inducement  to  commit  the  crime  ?  Were  there  any  other  ar 
rests  ?  " 

"Two — the  woman  Pitts,  and  my  brother's  manager,  a  man 
named  Wilkins." 

"  Indeed  !    On  what  grounds  ?  " 

"  That  the  woman,  who  was  noted  for  her  avarice,  had  known 
of  the  presence  of  the  money  in  my  brother's  chamber,  and  had  con 
cealed  herself  with  the  view  of  robbing  him.  You  will  remember 
that  I  saw  her  come  out  of  the  chamber  apparently  concealing 
something  under  her  apron." 

"  But  the  murder  ?    She  could  scarcely  have  committed  that." 

"  It  was  supposed  that  Wilkins  was  her  confederate,  and  executed 
that  part  of  the  plan.  He  and  my  brother  disliked  each  other,  and 
the  man  was  about  to  be  discharged.  The  supposition  was  that  he 
had  entered  into  a  conspiracy  with  the  woman  Pitts  to  murder  my 
brother  and  carry  off  the  money ;  that  each  had  borne  their  part — 
he  had  entered  the  window  and  struck  the  blow,  while  she  had  seized 
the  money  on  my  brother's  night-table ;  then  that,  hearing  me  com 
ing,  he  had  escaped  and  she  had  hidden  behind  the  bed-curtains, 
and  was  attempting  to  get  away  when  I  came  back  with  the 
brandy." 

"  The  theory  was  plausible.    What  proofs  were  there  ?  " 


THE  CRIME.  33 

"  None  at  all.  The  woman  stated  that  she  had  heard  my 
brother  cry  out,  and  hastened  to  the  room,  which  she  was  leaving  in 
horror  when  she  met  me ;  and  the  man's  presence  was  not  shown. 
Accordingly,  connection  in  any  manner  with  the  murder  was  not 
established,  and  the  two  persons  were  discharged." 

"And  Mr.  Ducis?" 

Mr.  Tim  Maurice  uttered  a  deeper  sigh  than  any  that  had  pre 
ceded  it. 

"  He  was  convicted,  and  on  the  day  succeeding  his  conviction 
was  seized  with  paralysis,  the  effect,  no  doubt,  of  mental  anguish, 
and  this  terminated  life  a  few  weeks  later." 

Dr.  Haworth  remained  silent  for  some  moments,  evidently  re 
flecting  upon  this  singular  tissue  of  events. 

"  Well,  that  is  a  gloomy  story,"  he  said  at  length,  "  and  I  am  not 
surprised  to  find  that  the  chamber  yonder  is  closed.  The  associa 
tions  with  it  must  be  painful.  The  elder  Mrs.  Maurice,  I  suppose, 
never  again  occupied  it  ?  " 

"  Never.  The  murder  of  her  husband  had  a  fatal  effect  upon 
her.  She  was  an  invalid  at  the  time  and  went  into  a  decline,  from 
which  she  never  recovered." 

"  She  could  give  no  testimony  in  relation  to  the  murder?  " 

"  None — when  she  started  from  sleep  she  saw  her  husband  was 
dying,  and  no  one  was  in  the  apartment." 

"  A  curious  and  tragic  affair.  It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that 
it  profoundly  shocked  her." 

"  It  even  produced  an  unfortunate  effect  upon  her  daughter 
Ellen — I  mean  my  niece,  the  present  Mrs.  Maurice — and  the  death 
of  her  husband  was  an  additional  blow." 

"  Of  Mr.  John  Maurice  ?  " 

"  Yes,  he  died  a  year  or  two  afterwards.  An  unlucky  family, 
you  see,"  said  the  old  gentleman  mournfully.  "  But  then,  time  does 
its  work,  and  the  sun  has  come  out  again.  My  niece  and  little 
Gary  take  a  cheerful  view  of  things,  and  my  own  temperament  is 
sanguine  and  hopeful.  Perhaps  it  would  have  been  better  not  to 
tell  you  these  old  troubles ;  but  you  asked  me  about  them — there  is 
the  carriage  coming  back." 

The  family  vehicle  was  seen  mounting  the  hill,  driven  by  its  sedate 
old  coachman,  and  Dr  Haworth  went  out  and  politely  assisted  the 
ladies  as  they  emerged  from  it.  As  Miss  Gary  gave  him  a  bright 
glance,  he  seemed  well  repaid  for  his  trouble. 


24  CAR  Y  MA  URIC&. 

V. 
GARY  MAURICE. 

DR.  HAWORTH  spent  the  day  at  Mauricewood,  and  his  quiet 
courtesy  made  an  agreeable  impression.  In  the  afternoon  he  and 
Miss  Gary  Maurice  conversed  on  the  veranda. 

She  was  leaning  back  in  a  camp-chair,  her  resetted  slippers 
just  emerging  from  the  skirt  of  a  painfully  pulled-back  dress,  and 
with  her  large  blue  eyes  under  her  brown  bangs  she  looked  very 
pretty. 

"  So  you  like  our  country  ?  "  she  said  to  Dr.  Haworth  smiling. 

"  I  like  it  very  much,"  he  said. 

"  I  think  uncle  told  me  you  lived  in  South  America." 

"  Yes,  near  Lima,  in  sight  of  the  cordilleras  of  the  Andes.  The 
country  is  peculiar,  and  differs  from  this." 

"  But  you  prefer  it,  I  suppose,  as  it  is  home  ?  " 

"  South  America  can  hardly  be  called  my  home.  I  have  no  ties 
there,  and  am  a  native  of  the  United  States." 

"  If  you  have  no  ties  I  think  you  ought  to  come  home  then," 
said  Miss  Gary,  smiling. 

"  I  shall  no  doubt  do  so  sooner  or  later,"  he  said.  "  I  am  not 
specially  fond  of  Peruvian  society,  and  see  very  little  of  it.  My  chief 
resource  is  reading." 

"  A  delightful  resource ! "  exclaimed  Miss  Gary.  "  You  prefer 
novels,  of  course  ?  " 

"  I  prefer  criticism  and  biography.    May  I  ask  what  you  read  ?  " 

"  Chiefly  trash,"  said  Miss  Gary,  laughing. 

"  Do  you  like  it  ?  " 

"  I  am  wrapped  up  in  it !  I  have  piles  and  piles  of  those  dear 
'  library  '  books — I  mean  those  cheap  ones  !  They  are  full  of  Sir 
Edwards  and  Lady  Evelyns,  and  my  tastes  are  properly  cultivated. 
I  am  strictly  English  ! " 

"  Then  you  are  not  American  ?  Why  not  read  American  litera 
ture?" 

"  There  is  none,  or  it  is  so  stupid  !  That  is,  it  is  so  dreadfully — 
well,  American  !  Think  of  the  delightful  ruins,  and  the  haunted 
towers,  and  mysterious  strangers  !  My  dear  English  novels  are  full 
of  that !  Of  course  it  is  all  fearfully  absurd,  but  it  serves  to  pass  the 
time." 


CARY  MAURICE  25 

"  \  see  you  are  romantic,  Miss  Maurice.  I  am  a  stranger,  but 
what  a  pity  it  is  I  am  so  commonplace  and  unmysterious." 

"It  is  unfortunate,"  said  Miss  Gary,  smiling;  "but  you  know 
real  life  is  always  commonplace." 

"  I  am  not  so  sure  of  that,"  said  Dr.  Haworth  ;  "  you  make  me 
think  of  what  your  uncle  told  me  this  morning — the  strange  story 
of  the  locked-up  room  here." 

"  It  is  very  sad,"  said  the  young  lady.    "  So  uncle  told  you  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  It  was  before  I  was  born,  but  I  have  often  heard  about  it." 

"  What  conclusion  did  you  arrive  at  ?  " 

"  What  conclusion  ?  " 

"  Who  was  the  real  criminal — Mr.  Ducis  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no !  I  am  sure  he  was  not.  Mamma  says  it  is  impossi 
ble.  She  was  acquainted  with  him,  and  very  fond  of  him." 

"  But  there  was  a  criminal — who  was  he  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  know." 

"  You  are  certain  Mr.  Ducis  was  innocent  ?  " 

"  Perfectly  certain.     I  never  believed  a  word  of  it." 

"  That  proves,  at  least,  that  you  have  a  generous  nature  ;  almost 
all  women  have." 

"  But  I  am  not  a  woman !  "  protested  Miss  Gary.  "  I  am  an  ex- 
school-girl  only ! " 

"  Yonder  is  the  proof  that  you  are  not  regarded  in  that  deroga 
tory  light,"  said  Dr.  Haworth. 

Miss  Gary  looked  in  the  direction  indicated  by  her  companion's 
finger  and  saw  Col.  Ross  coming  into  the  grounds.  His  elegant 
drag,  driven  by  a  liveried  servant  and  drawn  by  a  very  fine  pair  of 
horses,  was  just  passing  through  the  gate,  flanked  by  its  lofty  white 
posts  with  ornamental  tops. 

"  Col.  Ross  is  a  friend,  I  believe  ?  "  said  Dr.  Haworth. 

"  Yes,"  returned  the  young  lady,  with  the  rising  inflection. 

"  No  more  ?  But  the  question,  I  confess,  is  unceremonious,  and 
I  hope  you  will  pardon  it,  Miss  Maurice." 

Miss  Gary  Maurice  made  a  little  salute  with  her  bangs  in  return 
for  Col.  Ross'  bow — he  was  nearly  at  the  door.  She  then  turned  to 
her  companion  and  said  innocently,  "  Did  you  ask  if  Col.  Ross  was 
a  relation  ?  None  in  the  world.  I  have  never  heard  of  any  connec 
tion  between  the  Rosses  and  the  Maurices." 

Dr.  Haworth  said  no  more,  and  as  Miss  Gary  rose  to  receive 


26  TWO  If  ILL  PEOPLE. 

her  visitor,  who  was  now  on  the  veranda,  her  companion  rose 
also. 

Dr.  Haworth's  expression  was  entirely  composed,  Col.  Ross'  very 
different.  A  sudden  glance  indicated  that  the  two  men  were  not 
strangers. 

"  A  pleasant  evening,"  said  Miss  Gary,  who  had  held  out  her 
hand. 

Col.  Ross  bowed  low  as  he  received  it  and  said : 

"  Very  pleasant,  indeed — I  really  enjoyed  my  ride." 

"  Dr.  Haworth,  Col.  Ross,"  said  Miss  Gary. 

The  two  gentlemen  bowed,  and  as  Mr.  Tim  Maurice  made  his 
appearance  at  the  moment,  general  conversation  followed.  Miss 
Gary  seemed  to  be  in  excellent  spirits,  and  concentrated  her  atten 
tion  upon  Col.  Ross,  having  apparently  forgotten  Dr.  Haworth's  ex 
istence.  That  gentleman,  however,  did  not  seem  to  observe  the  fact, 
conversed  for  a  while  with  Mr.  Maurice,  and  finally  took  his  leave. 
As  he  rose  to  do  so,  Miss  Gary  turned  quickly  and  said  with  a 
charming  smile : 

"  You  are  not  going  ?  " 

"  I  regret  to  be  compelled  to  do  so,"  said  Dr.  Haworth,  bowing. 

Miss  Gary's  face  expressed  mild  regret,  and  the  visitor  then  de 
parted.  As  he  rode  away  he  said  in  a  cold  voice  : 

"  I  wonder  if  she  cares  for  that  man  ?  I  saw  that  he  recognized 
me." 


VI. 

TWO  HILL  PEOPLE. 

IN  a  gash  of  the  hills  some  miles  west  of  Mauricewood  was  a 
poor  and  mean-looking  house,  in  a  small  yard  surrounded  by  a  dis 
mantled  fence,  with  a  pig-sty  near  the  door,  a  cur  in  his  kennel,  an 
ashbank  beside  it,  broken  utensils  lying  about,  and  some  soiled 
clothes  hanging  out  of  a  window  with  broken  panes. 

In  the  single  room  of  this  house,  which  conveyed  an  impression 
of  utter  pauperism  and  steady  decay,  sat  a  woman  whose  appear 
ance  accorded  with  her  surroundings.  She  was  tall  and  gaunt, 
with  long  gray  hair  falling  in  tangled  masses  upon  her  shoulders, 
her  dress  faded  and  slatternly,  her  huge  feet  thrust  into  list  slippers 
bursting  open  at  the  seams.  She  was  seated  upon  a  low  stool, 


TWO  HILL  PEOPLE.  yj 

resting  her  bony  chin  upon  her  two  long  hands,  and  her  bony 
elbows  in  turn  on  her  knees.  Beside  her  was  a  wash-tub  under 
the  window,  in  which  there  was  scarcely  a  fragment  of  glass.  She 
was  watching  some  bacon  frying  in  a  pan  in  the  stone  fireplace. 

"You,  Job  Wilkins  !  "  she  shrilled. 

No  reply  came. 

"  You  worthless  hound  ! " 

Still  silence. 

"  Now,  you  make  out  you  don't  hear  me !    Come  here,  I  say ! " 

Steps  approached  ;  a  snarl  came  from  the  cur  and  a  shadow  ran 
across  the  floor  which  the  woman  evidently  observed,  for  she  growled 
in  great  ill-humor : 

"  You  are  not  worth  your  salt !  What  do  you  mean  by  slinking 
off  whenever  my  eye's  not  on  you  to  that  doggery — and  sponging  on 
people  for  liquor  to  drink  and  leaving  me  here  to  do  your  work  ?  " 

She  turned  round  to  add  the  fire  of  a  pair  of  bloodshot  eyes  to 
the  force  of  her  invective,  but  the  newcomer  was  not  Mr.  Job  Wil 
kins,  but  a  well-dressed  stranger — Dr.  Haworth,  in  fact. 

"  Good  morning,  madam,"  he  said,  bowing. 

Women  never  cease  to  be  women — that  is  to  say,  something 
good  remains  in  them.  The  surly  face  relaxed,  and  the  woman  rose 
with  an  expression  of  surprise. 

"  I  have  been  hunting  in  the  hills,"  said  the  visitor,  who  carried 
a  carbine  under  his  arm  ;  "  and  am  thirsty." 

In  response  to  this  appeal  to  her  hospitality  the  woman  presented 
him  with  a  gourd  of  water  taken  from  a  bucket  on  the  window-sill, 
and  with  an  attempt  to  suppress  the  natural  gruffness  of  her  voice, 
asked  him  if  he  would  not  sit  down  and  rest. 

"  Thank  you,  madam,"  he  said,  taking  a  chair  with  a  broken 
leg,  which  cracked  as  he  seated  himself.  A  commonplace  colloquy 
of  a  few  minutes  followed,  the  woman  having  resumed  her  stool. 

"  Your  place  here  is  rather  lonely,"  said  the  visitor.  "  I  suppose 
you  rarely  hear  any  news." 

"  Not  much,"  said  the  woman. 

"  There  is  very  little  stirring  at  present.  The  only  topic  of  inter 
est  has  been  the  great  murder  trial  in  Pennsylvania." 

"  A  murder  trial  ?  " 

"  Yes,  a  curious  case." 

The  visitor  put  his  hand  into  his  pocket  as  if  reaching  for 
something. 


28  TWO  HILL  PEOPLE. 

"  I  have  left  my  newspaper  at  home,"  he  said,  "  but  I  can  tell 
you  the  substance  of  it.  A  Mr. — ,  Mr. — ,  well,  the  name  is  not  im 
portant — was  charged  with  the  murder  of  a  friend  of  his,  who  had 
just  received  a  large  sum  of  money." 

The  woman  turned  her  head  and  listened  attentively. 

"  The  owner  of  the  money  was  waylaid,  it  seems,  as  he  was  riding 
along  a  wood  road  and  killed  by  a  blow  on  the  head,  apparently  with 
the  butt  end  of  a  riding-whip." 

"  You  don't  say  !  " 

Dr.  Haworth,  who  glanced  carelessly  at  his  companion,  saw  her 
turn  a  little  pale — that  is  to  say,  as  pale  as  her  dirty  complexion 
permitted. 

"  Yes — there  seemed  to  be  no  doubt  that  his  death  took  place  in 
that  manner,  as  there  was  a  bruise  on  his  left  temple ;  but  an  addi 
tional  circumstance  supported  the  idea." 

The  woman  was  looking  at  him  with  eyes  wide  open,  unwinking. 

"  A  riding-whip  with  a  heavy  leaden  handle  was  found  not  far 
from  the  corpse.  Whether  dropped  by  the  murderer  or  wrested 
from  his  hand  by  the  murdered  man,  in  the  struggle,  was  not  known. 
It  was  ascertained,  however,  to  be  the  property  of  a  neighboring 
farmer,  who  was  thereupon  arrested." 

"  He  was  the  man,  was  he  ?  "  the  woman  said,  in  a  low  voice. 

"  The  strange  fact  is  that  he  was  not,"  replied  Dr.  Haworth,  in 
a  matter-of-fact  tone. 

"  You  don't  tell  me — ! " 

Listening  carefully  he  could  perceive  that  the  woman  was  full  of 
suppressed  excitement. 

"  The  owner  of  the  whip  was  proved  to  be  innocent.  It  was 
shown  that  on  the  day  of  the  murder  he  was  twenty  miles  off,  and 
could  not  have  committed  it." 

The  woman  had  again  rested  her  chin  on  her  hands  and  her 
elbows  on  her  knees,  half  turned  away  from  her  visitor.  As  she 
made  no  reply  he  went  on. 

"  The  real  murderer  was  discovered  by  the  merest  accident,"  he 
said,  "  and  the  facts  brought  out  on  the  trial  proved  that  he  was  a 
skillful  fellow.  He  had  an  enemy — the  man  first  arrested — and 
meant  to  throw  suspicion  on  him.  He  therefore  bought  a  riding- 
whip  precisely  like  that  always  used  by  his  enemy,  and  cut  the  first 
letters  of  his  enemy's  name  on  the  lead  butt.  He  left  this  whip  at 
the  spot  after  committing  the  murder — the  innocent  man  was  ot 


TWO  HILL  PEOPLE.  2£ 

course  arrested — and  if  he  had  not  been  able  to  prove  the  alibi,  as 
it  is  called,  he  would  have  died  on  the  gallows,  for  he  and  the  mur 
dered  man  were  known  to  have  quarreled  a  short  time  before,  and 
he  had  been  heard  to  make  threats  that  he  would  have  his  blood." 

The  woman's  face  was  now  of  a  dead-ash  color,  and  she  was 
shaking  a  little. 

"  Well  ?  "  she  said,  in  a  guttural  tone. 

"  I  see  you  are  interested,"  continued  her  visitor,  "  and  perhaps 
you  would  like  me  to  tell  you  how  the  real  murderer  was  discovered." 

"  Yes,"  the  single  word  was  uttered  in  a  whisper. 

"  It  was  very  simple.  The  murdered  man  had  drawn  the  money 
from  the  bank  on  the  same  day — part  in  gold  and  part  in  notes.  As 
he  intended  to  make  a  large  payment  to  one  of  his  creditors  he  took 
one  hundred  dollar  notes,  and  for  safety  requested  the  bank  cashier 
to  take  down  the  numbers.  You  may  not  have  observed,  madam, 
but  every  bank-note  has  a  particular  number,  and  can  be  tracked  if 
it  is  stolen.  Say  that  I  have  a  bundle  of  such  bank-notes,  and  you 
or  any  one  murder  and  rob  me,  then  if  the  numbers  are  known,  and 
you  try  to  pass  the  notes,  an  officer  of  the  law  asks :  '  Where  did 
you  get  these  notes  ?  ' ' 

The  woman  got  up  to  turn  the  meat  without  looking  at  her 
visitor. 

"  That  was  just  what  happened  in  this  case,"  he  said ;  "  the 
bank-notes  were  traced  by  their  numbers  to  the  real  murderer,  who 
attempted  to  pass  them  ;  he  was  arrested,  and  other  circumstances 
were  discovered  which  brought  home  the  crime  to  him." 

As  Dr.  Haworth  said  this  a  man  came  in,  looking  sidewise  at 
him.  This  look  was  so  sullen  that  the  visitor  unconsciously  moved 
his  carbine  in  such  a  manner  as  to  be  able  to  use  it  promptly.  The 
new  comer  was,  in  fact,  a  most  unpleasant-looking  personage.  He 
was  tall,  strong,  slouching,  with  a  hang-dog  look,  a  wide  mouth 
fouled  with  tobacco  juice,  and  had  the  watchful  eye  of  a  beast  of 
prey.  As  he  had  approached  in  mute  silence  it  was  probable  that 
he  had  heard  a  part  or  the  whole  of  the  conversation. 

"  Sarvant,  sir !  "  he  said,  ducking  his  head  and  taking  off  a  brown 
rag  which  served  for  a  hat. 

"  The  gentleman  came  for  some  water  to  drink,"  said  the  woman, 
in  her  gruff  voice,  but  Dr.  Haworth  discerned  a  tremor  in  it.  His 
attention,  however,  seemed  to  be  concentrated  upon  the  man,  whose 
hooked  fingers,  with  their  dirty  nails,  resembled  the  talons  of  9, 


30  TWO  HILL  PEOPLE. 

hawk.  He  knew  that  this  man  was  the  former  manager  of  Mr. 
James  Maurice,  and  that  the  woman — now  his  wife  apparently — was 
the  former  Mrs.  Pitts,  who  had  been  seen  coming  out  of  the  cham 
ber  of  the  murdered  gentleman  with  her  hands  under  her  apron. 
He  had  tried  the  self-possession  of  the  woman — he  proceeded  now 
to  test  that  of  the  man. 

The  conversation  which  ensued  lasted  for  half  an  hour.  It  re 
sulted  in  nothing.  The  man  Wilkins  was  either  innocent,  or  a  mas 
ter  of  dissimulation.  In  the  most  natural  manner  he  alluded  to  his 
poverty-stricken  condition.  The  worst  of  it  was  that  he  couldn't 
please  his  wife.  He  had  been  well-off  once — manager  for  a  'Squire 
Maurice,  who  was  the  best  gentleman  in  life,  but  so  hot-tempered 
and  hard  to  please  that  he  had  to  leave.  Not  that  he  had  anything 
against  'Squire  Maurice — he  had  nothing  against  him,  and  when 
some  villain  murdered  him,  which  was  done,  he,  Wilkins,  had  been 
struck  all  of  a  heap.  He  didn't  mind  telling  that  he  himself  had 
been  charged  with  the  murder,  but  some  low  folks  done  it,  which 
the  court  discharged  him  immejiately.  Then  Mr.  Wilkins  looked 
with  interest  at  the  frying  meat. 

There  was  nothing  to  be  gained  by  remaining  longer,  and  Dr. 
Haworth  got  up  and  went  away  with  his  carbine  under  his  arm 
toward  his  horse.  Something  was  meantime  passing  in  the  cabin. 
The  man  had  gone  to  a  closet  under  the  stairs  in  a  corner,  caught 
out  a  gun,  and  said  to  the  woman,  as  he  cocked  the  weapon — 

"  What  do  you  say  to  givin'  him  a  bullet  ?  " 

"  I  say  no !  You  are  a  fool,"  growled  the  woman.  "  There's 
been  trouble  enough." 

"  As  you  say,"  the  man  replied,  putting  the  gun  back.  "  'Twould 
be  the  shorter  way.  Who  is  he  ?  " 

"  How  do  I  know  ?  " 

"  Well,  mark  what  I  tell  you — trouble'll  grow  out  of  this." 

"  Mind  your  business  and  turn  the  meat,"  grated  the  woman. 
"  I'll  attend  to  matters." 

Dr.  Haworth  had  meanwhile  gone  into  the  thicket  and  mounted 
"his  horse  to  return  to  his  temporary  home  in  the  hills.  His  face  was 
gloomy  and  expressed  mingled  hatred  and  disgust.  Were  these 
creatures  guilty  of  the  murder  ?  There  was  nearly  everything  to 
support  the  supposition,  but  it  was  quite  clearly  a  supposition, 


AN  AGREEABLE  ENCOUNTER.  3! 

VII. 
AN  AGREEABLE   ENCOUNTER. 

To  reach  his  home  in  the  hills,  Dr.  Haworth  followed  a  road 
through  the  woods,  along  the  foot  of  the  range,  catching  a  glimpse 
now  and  then  of  Mauricewood,  two  or  three  miles  distant. 

He  was  riding  on  slowly  with  head  bent  down,  when  hearing 
hoof-strokes  in  front  he  looked  up  and  saw  Miss  Gary  Maurice,  who 
had  come  out  of  a  by-road  and  was  galloping  in  the  same  direction 
which  he  himself  was  taking.  He  hastened  to  join  her  and  bowed. 

"  Dr.  Haworth  ! "  she  exclaimed,  with  evident  pleasure,  "  I  am 
fortunate  !  I  have  found  an  escort — and  armed  to  protect  me ! "  she 
added,  laughing,  and  looking  at  the  carbine  under  his  arm. 

"  I  am  glad  to  be  of  any  service.     I  was  out  hunting,"  he  said. 

"  And  I  am  going  to  see  a  friend  who  promised  me  some  ferns. 
Don't  be  shocked  to  find  me  riding  without  an  escort.  Our  neigh 
borhood  is  very  orderly,  and  then  everybody  knows  me.  So  you  see 
it  is  the  pleasure  of  your  company,  not  the  want  of  a  protector,  which 
inspired  my  friendly  speech." 

"  It  is  good  to  be  friendly,"  returned  Dr.  Haworth.  "  We  are 
nearly  strangers,  but  I  hope  on  better  acquaintance  you  and  your 
family  will  find  me  worthy  of  your  regard — that  our  relations  will  be 
cordial." 

"  Why  should  they  not  be  ?  You  are  quite  a  friend  of  the  family 
already." 

Miss  Gary  uttered  the  words  in  a  cheerful  manner,  and  with  a 
dangerous  glance.  She  was  an  attractive  object  in  her  black  riding- 
habit,  defining  the  graceful  figure  with  her  roses,  her  brown  curls, 
and  her  little  head  inclined  sidewise.  As  he  glanced  at  her,  Dr. 
Haworth  seemed  to  forget  his  harsh  emotion,  and  his  face  re 
laxed. 

"  Thank  you,"  he  said.  "  I  am  glad  to  be  regarded  as  the  friend 
of  your  family,  and  then  there  is  nothing  I  like  so  much  as  friendly 
expressions." 

"  I  prefer  flattering  ones  ! "  said  Miss  Gary. 

Dr.  Haworth  looked  at  the  bright  face  and  said : 

"  Then  I  will  tell  you  what  I  thought  when  I  saw  you  riding  in 
front  of  me  a  moment  ago." 

"  What  you  thought  ?  " 


\2  AN  AGREEABLE  ENCOUNTER. 

"  I  was  thinking  how  beautiful  you  were." 

"  What  a  delicious  speech  !  "  cried  Miss  Gary,  with  the  least  pos 
sible  increase  of  color. 

"  I  will  venture  to  add  that  you  recalled  to  me  two  passages  in  a 
book  I  have  been  reading." 

"  Was  it  trash  ?  " 

"  No,  it  was  a  volume  of  Count  Pontmartin's,  the  great  French 
critic,  who  is  a  favorite  of  mine." 

"  Well,  do  tell  me  the  passages  you  thought  of  when  you  saw 
me.  I  hope  they  were  complimentary  ?  " 

"  You  shall  judge  for  yourself.  The  critic  is  speaking  of  an 
author  whom  he  admires,  and  says  that  his  works  have  an  attraction 
only  to  be  described  by  the  word  '  charm.'  " 

"  That  is — well,  charming ! " 

"  He  then  defines  this  charm.  It  is  what  the  Italians  mean  by 
the  term  sympathy — the  indefinable  something,  which  charms,  but 
cannot  be  described." 

Miss  Gary  made  a  bow,  blushing  a  little  under  his  glance. 

"  Shall  I  now  tell  you  the  other  passage  ?  " 

"  If  you  please ! " 

"  This  time  it  is  Prosper  Merimee.  He  writes  to  his  '  unknown,' 
describing  a  lady  whom  he  has  just  met.  She  is  beautiful,  faultlessly 
dressed,  a  queen  of  the  salon,  he  says  ;  but  he  adds,  addressing  his 
fair  unknown :  She  has  not  that  inexpressible  something,  which  you 
have,  and  which  I  cannot  express — except  by  saying  that  it  is  a 
something  which  makes  people  love  you." 

"  That  is  really  exquisite,"  Miss  Gary  said,  laughing  a  little  hasti 
ly,  "  but  I  am  afraid  I  am  taking  you  out  of  your  way." 

"  Out  of  my  way !  I  have  no  business,"  said  Dr.  Haworth,  com 
posedly. 

"  But  you  were  going  home — " 

"  There  is  nothing  to  attract  me  there." 

"  But  you  have  been  hunting — I  am  sure  you  are  hungry !  It 
would  be  wrong  to  impose  upon  you  !  " 

It  was  obvious  that  Miss  Gary  Maurice  considered  that  the  con 
versation  had  taken  a  dangerous  direction. 

"  I  am  not  hungry,"  he  said. 

*  But — really — it  is  not  to  be  thought  of." 

"  Allow  me  at  least  to  accompany  you  as  far  as  your  friends," 

This  proposition  seemed  to  relieve  Miss  Gary. 


PROF.  LESNER. 


33 


"Thank  you,  I  will  accept  your  escort  so  far  with  pleasure. 
Yonder  is  the  house,"  she  said. 

They  were  opposite  a  small  lodge  in  an  opening  of  the  woods — 
a  cheerful  establishment,  nearly  overgrown  with  creeping  vines,  and 
surrounded  by  nicely-trimmed  sward,  scattered  through  which  were 
borders  of  autumn  flowers  in  full  bloom.  The  place  indeed  was  a 
bower  of  verdure,  flowers,  and  bees,  which  were  humming  merrily 
in  the  sunshine 

"  I  won't  detain  you,"  said  Miss  Gary  to  her  companion,  as  he 
assisted  her  to  the  ground. 

"  I  should  like  to  know  your  friend." 

As  it  was  impossible  to  refuse,  Miss  Gary  said : 

"  I  will  introduce  you  with  pleasure." 

"  What  is  his  name  ?  " 

"  Professor  Lesner." 


VIII. 

PROF.  LESNER. 

AT  the  name  of  Prof.  Lesner  Dr.  Haworth  turned  his  head 
quickly.  Miss  Gary,  however,  was  arranging  the  skirts  of  her 
riding-habit  at  the  moment,  and  did  not  observe  his  surprise. 

He  was  very  much  surprised,  indeed.  Nothing  could  have  been 
more  unexpected  than  the  singular  chance  which  was  then  about  to 
throw  him  again  with  the  friend  of  Mr.  Burdette,  the  opium-smoker 
of  the  "  joint "  in  Mott  street.  He  was  aware  of  the  fact  that  on 
Mrs.  Maurice's  Northern  tour  she  had  been  accompanied  by  Prof. 
Lesner,  but  it  had  never  occurred  to  him  that  the  Professor  resided 
in  the  Mauricewood  neighborhood — he  had,  in  fact,  forgotten  his  ex 
istence.  Now  it  seemed  they  were  about  to  meet  again,  and  Dr. 
Haworth  asked  himself  if  the  old  scholar  would  recognize  him.  It 
was  improbable.  When  they  met  in  Mott  street  he  was  in  no  con 
dition  to  remember  anything.  It  was  much  the  most  probable  sup 
position  that  he  would  not  connect  Dr.  Haworth,  the  friend  of  Miss 
Maurice,  with  the  unknown  stranger  of  New  York — and  so  it 
proved. 

Prof.  Lesner  came  out  of  his  house  in  a  dressing-gown  and  slip 
pers,  with  his  gray  hair  upon  his  shoulders,  and  smiling  kindly.  The 
visit  of  Miss  Gary  evidently  delighted  him* 


34 


PROF.    LESNER. 


"  It  does  my  old  heart  good  to  see  you,  my  dear  little  rosebud," 
he  said,  squeezing  her  hand. 

"Thank  you,  dear  Prof.  Lesner — you  always  make  charming 
speeches,"  returned  the  young  lady.  "  This  is  my  friend,  Dr.  Ha- 
worth — Prof.  Lesner,  Dr.  Haworth." 

"  I  am  glad  to  know  any  friend  of  Miss  Gary's,"  said  the  Profess 
or,  bowing  courteously. 

It  was  plain  that  he  had  not  recognized  him.  There  were  no  in 
dications  of  opium  about  the  old  scholar,  and  Dr.  Haworth  hoped 
he  had  discontinued  the  evil  habit  when  once  beyond  temptation. 

"  But  come  in,"  he  said  hospitably ;  "  I  was  reading,  but  not 
much  interested." 

"  I  generally  find  you  among  your  flowers  and  bees  when  you  are 
not  with  your  birds,"  said  Miss  Gary. 

The  Professor  sighed,  looking  around  him  sadly.  "  My  poor 
flowers  have  nearly  all  left  me,"  he  said,  "  and  my  bees,  too.  I  have 
lost  twenty  swarms  and  have  now  scarcely  a  hundred.  Then  my 
pets,  my  canaries,  are  dying  in  some  mysterious  manner.  I  have 
only  two  hundred  left.  Come,  little  one  ! " 

He  held  out  his  finger  and  a  beautiful  canary  darted  from  a  win 
dow  and  perched  upon  it,  turning  his  bright  head  from  side  to  side. 

"  That  is  my  aviary.  I  thought  I  would  give  them  a  little  sun* 
shine  to-day.  They  are  too  good  to  fly  away,"  said  the  Professor, 
smiling  and  caressing  the  canary. 

Miss  Gary  Maurice  laughed. 

"  Scarcely  a  hundred  swarms  of  bees,  and  two  hundred  canary 
birds  left — just  listen,  Dr.  Haworth  !  We  shall  next  be  told  that  the 
mice  have  devoured  all  your  folio  volumes  but  one  hundred  thou 
sand." 

"  I  have  not  so  many,  Miss  Gary — you  know  I  am  a  poor  scholar, 
only.  But  I  have  many  things  to  cheer  me  in  my  lonely  life — your 
bright  face  is  one  of  them." 

"  Well,  I  told  you  before  that  you  were  charming,  Prof.  Lesner ! 
Have  you  the  ferns  you  promised  me  weeks  ago  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes.  I  would  have  brought  them,  but  my  health  has  been 
so  bad. " 

He  went  into  a  little  sitting-room  on  the  right  of  the  entrance, 
the  walls  of  which  were  nearly  covered  by  books,  and  brought  to 
the  porch  a  large  portfolio  filled  with  delicate  ferns. 
l_    "  These  are  all  arranged  with  both  their  scientific  and  common 


PROF.   LESNER.  35 

—I  will  not  say  vulgar — names  beneath  them.  1  fear  you  will  find 
the  portfolio  cumbersome." 

"  Oh,  no.     I  can  easily  take  it." 

"  You  are  very  welcome.  Always  try  to  find  something  that  I 
can  do  to  please  you." 

And  Prof.  Lesner  beamed  on  the  young  lady,  who  renewed  her 
thanks,  and  then  rose  to  go. 

"  You  will  not  leave  me  so  soon  ! "  he  protested. 

"  Thank  you,  but  I  am  afraid  I  shall  have  to  go  now.  You  are 
very  good — come  and  see  us  soon." 

And  the  amiable  Professor,  having  declared  that  as  soon  as  he 
could  stir  out,  his  very  first  visit  should  be  to  Mauricewood,  Miss 
Gary  shook  hands  and  was  assisted  to  her  saddle  by  Dr.  Haworth. 
He  had  brought  out  the  portfolio  of  ferns  and  Miss  Gary  now  ex 
tended  her  hand  to  take  it,  but  Dr.  Haworth  responded  by  mount 
ing,  with  the  portfolio  still  beneath  his  arm. 

"  It  would  be  impossible  for  you  to  carry  such  a  load,"  he  said, 
"  and  it  is  too  late  for  you  to  return  without  an  escort." 

Dr.  Haworth  then  touched  his  horse,  whose  head  was  turned  in 
the  direction  of  Mauricewood,  and  Miss  Gary  was  obliged  to  follow. 
If  she  expected  the  conversation  to  take  a  romantic  turn,  she  was 
mistaken. 

"  A  curious  person,"  said  Dr.  Haworth.  "  I  mean  Prof.  Lesner. 
Is  he  a  friend  of  yours  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes  ;  we  have  known  him  all  our  lives." 

"  Then  he  has  always  lived  here  ?  " 

"  Ever  since  I  can  remember.  He  was  once  professor  in  some 
college,  I  believe,  but  retired,  and  spends  his  life  in  studying  and 
writing.  I  think  he  has  written  some  work  which  is  to  be  published 
in  New  York,  but  I  do  not  know  upon  what  subject." 

Dr.  Haworth  knew,  but  respected  the  Professor's  secret. 

"  You  describe  a  scholar  and  recluse,"  he  said.  "  Your  friend  is 
evidently  devoted  to  country  life  and  innocent  pleasures." 

"  You  mean  his  birds  and  bees.  He  is  devoted  to  them  ;  and  it 
is  the  most  rational  life,  is  it  not  ?  I  mean,  to  live  quietly  and  hap 
pily?" 

"  I  can  hardly  say.  My  own  life  has  passed  mainly  in  action  of 
some  description,  and  not  always  happily,"  said  Dr.  Haworth. 

"  I  am  sorry — in  action  ?  " 

"  In  laboring  for  my  livelihood  and  otherwise.     I  was  poor." 


36  PROF.    LESNER. 

"  That  is  said  to  be  the  test  of  character  and  the  preface  to  dis 
tinction,  Dr.  Haworth,"  said  the  young  lady  earnestly. 

"  It  has  tested  mine  if  not  given  me  any  distinction.  But  per 
haps  Prof.  Lesner's  is  the  truest  philosophy — repose  is  best — where 
one  can  enjoy  it." 

"  I  hope  you  are  able  to  do  so." 

"No,  I  have  an  object  in  life  still  unaccomplished." 

His  grave,  almost  cold,  tone  indicated  that  he  was  not  uttering  a 
gallant  speech,  and  Gary  Maurice  said  earnestly : 

"  If  I  were  a  man  I  would  offer  to  assist  you  if  I  could." 

"  You  cannot — but  you  can  do  one  thing." 

"  What  is  that  ?  " 

"  You  can  hope  for  my  success.  It  is  a  worthy  object  I  have  in 
view." 

"  I  am  sure  it  is,  and  I  do  hope  you  will  succeed  in  it." 

He  went  on  for  some  moments  in  silence,  and  then  said  in  a  low 
voice : 

"  I  am  glad  you  have  given  me  that  assurance.  My  life  has  been 
rather  sad — I  have  not  had  many  persons  to  sympathize  with  me — 
thus  I  value  your  regard  and  would  like  to  have  an  opportunity  to 
prove  my  own — that  I  am  your  very  faithful  friend." 

"  I  am  sure  you  are,"  said  Miss  Gary  Maurice  in  an  earnest  tone. 

"  Then  we  understand  each  other,  we  are  friends  ?  " 

He  held  out  his  ungloved  hand. 

"  Yes,  with  all  my  heart." 

She  drew  off  her  own  glove  and  gave  him  her  hand  ;  he  felt  its 
soft  and  warm  pressure.  At  the  same  moment  the  horses  stopped. 
They  were  at  the  Mauricewood  gate. 

Dr.  Haworth  looked  up— on  the  veranda  of  the  Mauricewood 
house  stood  Col.  Ross,  and  his  superb  riding-horse  was  at  the  rack 
near. 

"  Shall  I  go  further,  or  do  you  wish  me  to  leave  you  now  ?  "  said 
Dr.  Haworth. 

"  How  coldly  you  say  that !  What  is  the  matter  ?  "  exclaimed 
the  young  lady,  looking  up  at  him  impulsively. 

"  You  have  a  visitor.  One  of  the  greatest  blunders  a  man  can 
commit  is — to  be  de  trop." 

"  You  will  not  be  de  trop  !    The  idea !  " 

"  Do  you  wish  me  to  come  ?  " 

"  Certainly !    You  know  how  very  glad  we  all  are  to  see  you," 


COL.  ROS3   TAKES  A   NIGHT  RIDE. 


37 


"  Col.  Ross  may  remain  all  night." 

"  Why  should  not  Dr.  Haworth  remain  also,  then  ?  "  said  Miss 
Gary,  smiling. 

"  Because  one  is  a  stranger — myself  I  mean  ;  and  the  other  an 
old  friend.  He  is  more  than  a  friend,  perhaps." 

"  More  ?  "  she  said  quickly.  "  I  assure  you  you  are  mistaken, 
sir ! " 

"  No  more  ?  "  he  persisted,  looking  steadily  at  her. 

"  Not  the  least  bit ! "  said  Miss  Gary,  laughing. 

"  Well,  to  be  frank,  I  am  glad  to  know  that,"  said  Dr.  Haworth 
coolly,  "  but  I  find,  after  all,  that  I  shall  be  obliged  to  return  home." 

And  as  they  had  reached  the  house  now,  he  assisted  the  young 
lady  to  dismount,  bowed  and  departed. 


IX. 

COL.  ROSS  TAKES  A  NIGHT  RIDE. 

COL.  Ross  didn't  remain  at  Mauricewood  later  than  about  8 
in  the  evening.  At  that  hour  he  rose,  bowed  deferentially,  and  al 
leging  business  in  Abbeyville  on  his  way  home,  took  his  departure. 

The  moon  was  shining,  and  he  rode  on  slowly  with  an  expression 
of  decided  discomposure.  He  had  not  been  able  to  exchange  more 
than  a  few  commonplaces  with  Miss  Gary  Maurice  in  the  midst  of 
the  family  circle ;  but  that  hardly  accounted  for  his  expression  of 
moody  displeasure.  In  fact,  Col.  Ross  was  thinking  of  something 
very  different,  as  some  muttered  words  now  and  then  indicated. 

What  had  occurred  was  this  :  On  his  arrival  at  Mauricewood  he 
had  found  Mrs.  Maurice  confined  to  her  room  by  a  headache,  and 
Miss  Gary  absent,  but  Mr.  Tim  Maurice  received  and  entertained 
him.  They  had  entered  into  a  conversation,  and  a  chance  allusion 
by  the  old  gentleman  to  Dr.  Haworth  had  naturally  led  Col.  Ross  to 
say: 

"  He  is  a  visitor  in  the  neighborhood,  I  believe  ?  " 

"  A  gentleman  traveling  for  his  pleasure,  and  a  very  agreeable 
man,  I  assure  you,"  replied  Uncle  Tim. 

Col.  Ross  inclined  his  head  politely,  but  said : 

"  My  experience,  Mr.  Maurice,  is  a  little  opposed  to  putting  too 
much  confidence  in  strangers — unaccredited  people.  I  do  not 


38  COL.    ROSS    TAKES  A   NIGHT  RIDE. 

mean,  of  course,  to  say  anything  to  the  prejudice  of  your  friend  Dr., 
Haworth,  for  he  seems  to  have  become  a  friend  of  the  family." 

"  Why,  yes ;  he  is  very  intelligent,  and  plays  the  best  game  of 
chess  I  ever  saw ! " 

"  I  know  that  you  consider  that  an  admirable  trait  in  anybody," 
said  Col.  Ross ;  "  but  it  is  not  a  guarantee  of  character." 

"  I  believe  Dr.  Haworth  to  be  perfectly  open  and  honorable." 

"  No  doubt,  and  you  say  he  is  intelligent  ?  " 

"  Extremely  so.  I  was  much  struck  by  his  acuteness  the  other 
day,  when  I  was  telling  him  of  our  unfortunate  family  tragedy — my 
brother's  death,  you  know." 

"  Ah  !  you  told  him  about  that  old  affair  ?  " 

"  Yes,  he  seemed  curious  to  hear  the  details,  and,  I  observed, 
listened  with  the  closest  attention.  Afterwards  in  discussing  the 
question  of  Mr.  Ducis'  connection  with  the  murder  he  indicated 
great  acuteness  of  intellect.  He  suggested  as  Mr.  Ducis'  probable 
defense  the  one  actually  set  us  by  his  counsel — even  to  the  possible 
erasure  in  the  warehouse  ledger  by  the  real  criminal.  You  will  re 
member  the  case.'1 

"  Yes,"  said  Col.  Ross,  speaking  slowly  with  his  eyes  fixed  upon 
the  opposite  wall,  "  I  believe  I  remember." 

"  I  have  some  reason,  you  see,  for  speaking  of  Dr.  Haworth  as  a 
man  of  intelligence,"  added  Mr.  Tim  Maurice. 

"Yes." 

"  I  should  call  him  a  man  of  great  penetration.  All  his  com 
ments  on  the  case  proved  that." 

"  He  had  a  theory,  of  course,  as  to  the  real  murderer  ?  "  said 
Col.  Ross. 

"  Yes.  He  was  clearly  of  opinion  that  Mr.  Ducis  was  guilty — 
if  not,  then  Wilkins  and  the  woman  Pitts  ;  that  one  struck  the  blow 
and  the  other  carried  off  the  money." 

Col.  Ross  made  no  reply  to  this  for  a  moment ;  he  then  said  : 

"  So  strange  a  story  must  have  interested  Dr.  Haworth." 

"  He  seemed  very  much  interested.  Such  puzzles,  he  said,  had 
always  had  a  great  attraction  for  him." 

"  They  have  for  most  people — and  your  friend  inquired  into 
every  detail  ?  " 

"  Minutely.  If  he  had  been  a  detective  he  could  scarcely  have 
been  more  curious,"  said  Mr.  Maurice,  smiling. 

"  He  is  not  probably  a  detective,"  replied  Col.  Ross  coolly,  "  but 


COL.  ROSS   TAKES  A   NIGHT  RIDE.  39 

then  you  will  not  think  me  intrusive,  I  hope,  Mr.  Maurice,  if  I  add 
that  he  is — a  stranger." 

"  Well,  stranger  or  not,  he  is  a  delightful  fellow  ! "  cried  Uncle 
Tim,  with  friendly  warmth  ;  "  quiet  in  his  manners,  thoroughly  well- 
bred,  and  plays  a  superb  game  of  chess." 

As  Miss  Gary  had  made  her  appearance  at  this  moment  the  dis 
cussion  of  Dr.  Haworth's  merits  and  demerits  proceeded  no  further, 
and  Col.  Ross  had  concentrated  his  attention  on  the  young  lady. 
She  had  not  received  him  with  much  warmth.  His  quick  eye  de 
tected  an  almost  imperceptible  alteration  in  her  manner.  It  was 
perfectly  courteous,  but  the  riante  ease  which  habitually  character 
ized  it  was  absent,  and  Col.  Ross,  moodily  reflecting,  attributed  the 
change  to  Miss  Gary's  riding  companion. 

Hence  the  impression  of  displeasure  on  his  face  as  he  rode  back 
toward  Abbeyville  through  the  moonlight.  As  he  reflected,  his  eye 
brows  steadily  contracted  and  a  sullen  fire  kindled  beneath  them. 

"  What  is  this  man's  errand  here  ?  "  he  muttered.  "  Who  is  he  ? 
I  know  his  name  and  heard  of  his  visit  to  the  United  States,  but 
what  brings  him  here  ?  What  is  he  trying  to  find  out  ?  " 

He  reflected  for  a  moment  and  added  in  the  same  tone : 

"  He  may  only  be  interested  in  a  puzzle— a  '  mysterious  crime,' 
as  the  newspapers  head  their  reports.  But  there  is  the  chance — it 
is  possible — whatever  his  motive  is  he  may  make  trouble." 

Col.  Ross  drew  rein  as  he  said  this,  and  his  horse  stopped. 
Looking  toward  the  hill  country  west  of  Mauricewood,  he  hesitated, 
reflected  and  said  at  length  : 

"  I  will  put  them  on  their  guard.  That  old  chatterbox  yonder 
has  given  him  the  names,  and  he  will  be  sure  to  hunt  them  up — he 
may  have  already  done  so." 

Col.  Ross  then  turned  into  a  side  road  winding  through  woods, 
went  on  at  full  gallop  and  in  about  three-quarters  of  an  hour  was  in 
front  of  the  cabin  occupied  by  the  man  and  woman  visited  by  Dr. 
Haworth.  The  presence  of  the  horseman  was  announced  by  a  vio 
lent  barking  from  the  cur.  At  this  the  slatternly  woman  came  to 
the  door  and  peered  out.  Col.  Ross  had  dismounted,  and  as  he 
was  within  a  few  feet  of  her,  she  had  no  difficulty  in  recognizing  him. 

"Has  a  stranger  been  here?  "  he  said,  in  a  brief  and  abrupt  tone. 

"Yes." 

"  Heavy  brown  mustache,  sunburnt,  middle  height,  and  looks 
straight  through  you  ?  " 


40 


COL.   ROSS   TAKES  A   NIGHT  RIDE. 


"  That's  him." 

"  What  did  he  want  ?  " 

"  A  gourd  of  water — he  was  out  hunting." 

"  It  was  a  mistake.    He  was  hunting  lor  you." 

The  woman  changed  color,  but  made  no  reply. 

"  What  did  he  say  to  you !  "  continued  Col.  Ross,  in  the  same 
abrupt  tone. 

"  He  talked  about  a  murder  trial  somewhere — and  tracking  up 
some  bank-notes." 

"  Well  ?  " 

"  The  man  that  murdered  the  other  one  was  found  out  by  the 
figures  on  the  notes." 

"Well?" 

"  And  he  was  hung,"  said  the  woman,  with  a  slight  shiver. 

"Well?" 

At  each  repetition  of  the  word  "  well "  the  voice  of  the  speaker 
seemed  to  grow  colder  and  more  threatening. 

"  Then  he  left,"  added  the  woman,  "  and  Job  wanted  to  put  a 
bullet  in  him." 

"  The  best  thing  he  could  have  done,"  said  Col.  Ross,  coldly. 
"  Is  he  in  there  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  Call  him  here.    I  have  something  to  say  to  him — and  you." 

"  Better  come  in  and  say  it  quiet.  There's  never  any  certainty 
that  nobody's  near  by." 

She  looked  around  her  as  if  suspecting  the  presence  of  some 
eavesdropper,  but  there  was  only  the  mangy  cur  in  his  kennel,  the 
pig-sty,  the  ash  heap,  the  broken  fence  and  the  scraggy  thicket. 

"You  are  right,"  Col.  Ross  said.  "What  I  have  to  say  had 
better  be  said  without  listeners." 

He  then  went  into  the  house  and  the  door  closed.  After  about 
half  an  hour  he  came  out  again  and  mounted  his  horse.  The  man 
Wilkins  had  followed  him  to  the  fence. 

"  Remember  what  I  told  you,"  Col.  Ross  said  in  a  low  tone. 
"  Be  on  your  guard.  This  man  is  cool,  strong,  rich,  and  it  will  not 
do  to  try  to  frighten  him.  That  means  he  is  dangerous.  If  he 
comes  back  here  take  care  what  you  say." 

"  If  he  comes  back  I'll  put  an  ounce  of  lead  into  him." 

"  Well— that's  your  affair." 

He  touched  his  horse,  set  forward,  and  reaching  the  main  road 


DR.  HA  WORTH  DISCOVERS  A   UKENESS.          41 

was  heard  galloping  toward  Abbeyville.  The  man  Wilkins  had 
gone  back  into  the  house  and  shut  the  door. 

It  seemed  that  the  woman  with  the  dishevelled  hair  had  given 
Col.  Ross  some  very  good  advice.  As  soon  as  the  cabin  door 
closed,  something  which  resembled  a  moving  shadow  detached  it 
self  from  the  rear  of  the  cabin  which  was  opposite  the  moon  and 
gained  the  thicket  in  which  it  disappeared.  This  shadow  was  Jean 
Baptiste,  and  his  presence  can  be  accounted  for  in  a  very  simple 
manner.  He  had  grown  a  little  uneasy  about  Dr.  Haworth,  who 
had  not  returned  at  nightfall,  and  fearing  that  some  accident  had 
happened  to  him  in  hunting,  Jean,  who  had  nothing  else  to  do,  fol 
lowed  the  hoof-prints  of  his  horse.  This  was  not  difficult,  as  a 
slight  rain  had  fallen  the  night  before,  and  there  was  little  travel  on 
the  mountain  roads.  He  traced  the  hoof-prints  to  the  cabin  of  the 
two  hill  people,  and  was  about  to  approach  and  inquire  if  any  one  had 
seen  Dr.  Haworth  when  Col.  Ross  made  his  appearance.  As  Jean 
was  quite  concealed  from  view  in  the  thicket  he  remained  quiet, 
listened  to  the  colloquy  between  the  woman  and  her  visitor ;  and 
when  they  went  into  the  house  gained  the  rear  where  there  was  a 
small  window.  Through  this  he  had  cautiously  looked,  but  could 
only  see  that  the  three  persons  were  in  earnest  conversation.  As 
they  spoke  in  a  low  tone  it  was  impossible  to  hear  them. 

After  the  departure  of  Col.  Ross,  Jean,  knowing  that  his  further 
stay  was  useless,  stole  away  and  went  back  rapidly  to  the  home  in 
the  hills,  where  he  found  Dr.  Haworth,  who  had  just  returned  from 
Mauricewood. 


X. 

DR.  HAWORTH  DISCOVERS  A  LIKENESS. 

WHEN  Dr.  Haworth  rode  to  Mauricewood  some  days  after  these 
incidents  and  was  told  that  the  ladies  had  again  driven  out,  his  ex 
pression  of  disappointment  might  have  revealed  a  great  deal  to  Mr. 
Tim  Maurice  if  he  had  been  a  person  of  curious  disposition.  In 
truth,  with  Cary  Maurice  absent  there  was  no  longer  any  sunshine 
at  Mauricewood,  and  even  Mr.  Tim  Maurice's  cheerful  talk  did  not 
seem  to  entertain  his  guest.  It  was  only  when  the  old  gentleman 
said  :  "  We  had  a  visit  from  Col.  Ross  last  night,"  that  Dr.  Ha 
worth  seemed  to  arouse  himself. 


42          1>R.    HAVfORTH  DISCOVERS  A   LIKENESS. 

"  He  is  a  tolerably  frequent  visitor,  I  believe,  Mr.  Maurice  ?  "  he 
said,  speaking  in  his  habitually  composed  tone. 

"  Yes,  he  has  become  quite  regular  in  his  attentions  to — my 
niece  Ellen  and  myself,"  replied  Uncle  Tim,  jocosely. 

"You  mean,  I  suppose,  to  Miss  Maurice?" 

"  Yes,  I  mean  that." 

"  He  is  paying  her  his  addresses  ?  " 

"  I  think  there  can  be  no  doubt  of  it." 

"  Is  she  going  to  marry  him  ?  " 

"  Well,"  that  is  rather  a  puzzling  question.  Women  are  won 
drous  in  their  way,  and  wondrous  uncertain — also,  unfathomable. 
Books  say  so.  I  don't  know  much  about  them  myself." 

"  Will  you  permit  me  to  ask  you  a  question,  Mr.  Maurice  ?  It 
may  appear  a  little  unceremonious." 

"  Certainly.     Do  so  without  ceremony." 

"  Do  you  and  Mrs.  Maurice  approve  of  Col.  Ross'  attentions  ?  " 

"  Well,"  said  Uncle  Tim,  dubiously,  "  I  never  meddle  in  such 
matters  myself,  and  Ellen — Mrs.  Maurice — has  great  confidence  in 
Gary.  I  suppose  I  may  say  that  what  Gary  thinks  will  probably  de 
cide  the  matter." 

"  Pardon  me  for  saying  that  you  have  not  answered  my  question." 

"  Your  question  ?  " 

"  If  Miss  Maurice's  family  approve  of  an  alliance  with  Col.  Ross. 
Frankly,  I  do  not  particularly  admire  him." 

Mr.  Tim  Maurice  laughed  heartily. 

"  Well,  do  you  know  that  it  is  pretty  much  my  own  senti.nent," 
he  said.  "  It  is  curious,  but  there  is  something  about  our  friend  the 
Colonel  which  rather  jars  on  one  at  times.  It  is  hard  to  say  what 
it  is — but  there  it  is." 

Dr.  Haworth  reflected  for  a  moment — then  he  said  : 

"  I  have  no  doubt  Col.  Ross  has  made  me  the  subject  of  con 
versation,  and  asked  what  brought  me  to  the  neighborhood." 

"  Yes,  he  asked  me  the  question." 

"  Well,  then,  I  am  fairly  entitled  to  ask  you  who  he  is,  in  my 
turn." 

"  He  is  the  son  of  a  gentleman  of  this  county  who  died  about 
twenty  years  ago.  Young  Ross  was  educated  for  the  navy,  and 
spent  some  years  cruising,  I  believe,  but  afterwards  resigned  and 
entered  the  Chilian  army  or  navy,  I  think.  He  is  now  a  guano  or 
nitrate  contractor  or  agent,  I  hear." 


DR.  PI  A  WORTH  DISCOVERS  A   LIKENESS. 


43 


"  He  is  rich,  I  believe  ?  " 

"  He  is  said  to  be  very  rich." 

"  Well,  I  presume  he  acquired  his  wealth  in  South  America,  and 
where  I  understand  you  to  say  he  has  always  lived  when  not  on  his 
cruises,  until  recently." 

"  He  has  not  always  lived  there.  When  he  was  a  young  man  of 
from  20  to  25  he  succeeded  to  his  father's  estate,  and  was  frequently 
at  home." 

"  You  were  no  doubt  acquainted  with  him  at  that  time." 

"  Yes,  but  the  acquaintance  was  slight.  He  was  rather — well, 
what  is  called  wild." 

You  mean  dissipated." 

"  That  is  the  polite  word.  But  it  is  rather  too  polite  to  express 
the  exact  idea.  Young  Ross  was  what  is  vulgarly  called  a  '  hard 
case.'  I  remember  an  unlucky  affair  of  his  in  which  my  poor 
brother  was  concerned." 

"  Your  brother,  Mr.  James  Maurice  ?  " 

"  Yes,  he  was  a  magistrate,  and  young  Ross  was  brought  before 
him  in  Abbeyville  for  some  drunken  misconduct.  My  brother  was 
anxious  to  let  him  off  with  an  admonition,  but  he  openly  insulted 
the  court,  told  my  brother  in  fact  that  he  was  an  '  old  fool ' — and 
was  committed  to  jail  for  contempt." 

"  Ah  !  Then  your  brother  and  the  present  Col.  Ross  were  possi 
bly  not  very  good  friends  ?  " 

"  Very  naturally  they  were  not.  My  brother  felt  that  he  had  been 
unwarrantably  insulted,  and  young  Ross  professed  to  regard  his 
commitment  to  jail  as  a  gross  outrage ;  he  went  so  far,  it  is  said,  as 
to  swear  that  my  brother  should  smart  for  it." 

"  Ah  !  "  Dr.  Haworth  said  once  more.  His  companion's  reminis 
cences  seemed  to  interest  him  very  much. 

"  If  that  incident  occurred  about  twenty  years  ago,"  he  said,  "  it 
must  have  been  about  the  time  of  Mr.  James  Maurice's  death." 

"  I  think  it  just  preceded  it." 

"  I  suppose  there  was  little  intimacy  between  young  Ross  and 
your  family  ?  " 

"  None  at  all." 

"  He  was  not  acquainted  with  the  present  Mrs.  Maurice  ?  " 

"  It  is  possible — yes ;  I  remember  seeing  him  at  Mauricewood, 
but  not  more  than  once  or  twice,  I  think." 

"  And  Mr.  John  Maurice  was  also  a  stranger  to  him  ?  " 


44        DR.  HA  WORTH  DISCOVERS  A  LIKENESS. 

"  Yes — no.  Really,  I  am  remembering  a  number  of  things.  It 
was  said  that  the  two  young  men  had  not  only  known  each  other, 
but  had  a  quarrel  about  a  woman — in  South  America.  John  was 
attache  there,  and  I  remember  there  was  some  vague  talk  of  a  duel, 
or  quarrel  at  least,  between  him  and  our  friend  the  Colonel,  who  was 
then  a  naval  officer." 

"  Ah  !  a  quarrel  ?  " 

"  About  some  woman,  as  I  said.  Y^u  s^e,  they  make  all  the 
trouble — which  makes  me  keep  clear  of  the  dear  creatures,  Doctor. 
Yes,  there  was  certainly  a  quarrel  of  some  sort  between  young  Ross 
and  John  Maurice,  and  that  may  have  explained  his  absence  from 
the  wedding." 

"  Mr.  John  Maurice's  wedding  ?  " 

"  Yes.     I  remember  he  was  not  present." 

Dr.  Haworth  nodded. 

"  After  all,  you  are  better  acquainted  with  Col.  Ross  than  you 
think,  Mr.  Maurice,"  he  said ;  "  and  as  he  is  received  at  Maurice- 
wood  now  in  so  friendly  a  manner,  it  is  a  proof  that  he  has  reformed 
the  objectionable  traits  in  his  character — if  there  were  such." 

"  I  have  no  doubt  that  he  has  done  so." 

"  Then  you  will  not  oppose  his  matrimonial  views  ?  " 

Mr.  Tim  Maurice  made  a  dubious  movement  with  his  lips  and 
said : 

"  Well,  I  should  be  sorry  to  see  Cary  marry  him,  with  all  his 
wealth,  as  he  and  poor  John  were  enemies.  It  is  natural  to  take  up 
the  family  dislike,  you  see." 

"  You  were  no  doubt  attached  to  young  Mr.  Maurice  ?  " 

"Attached  to  him  !  I  was  devoted  to  him.  He  was  a  splendid 
youngster ;  as  brave  as  steel,  as  firm  as  a  rock,  and  you  had  only  to 
look  at  him  to  see  that  he  was  a  noble  fellow." 

"  You  speak  with  enthusiasm." 

"Well,  not  extravagantly.    We  have  his  portrait." 

"Ah!" 

"  Would  you  like  to  see  it  ?  It  is  in  my  niece's  chamber,  but  she 
will  not  mind  my  taking  you  up." 

"  I  should  be  very  glad  to  see  it." 

"  Then  you  need  only  follow,  Doctor." 

Mr.  Tim  Maurice  led  the  way  up  the  winding  staircase  with  the 
elastic  step  of  a  boy,  followed  by  Dr.  Haworth,  and  they  reached 
the  second  floor,  where  a  neatly-matted  hall,  corresponding  to  that 


PROF.  LESNER'S   THEORY. 


45 


down  stairs,  gave  access  to  the  numerous  apartments.  Mr.  Maurice 
opened  a  door  on  the  right  and  entered  a  chamber  of  lofty  pitch, 
with  lace  curtains,  an  old-fashioned  bedstead,  with  tall  posts  and  a 
tester,  and  many  easy-chairs  disposed  in  front  of  a  wide  fireplace, 
where  a  wood  fire  was  burning  on  ancient  brass  andirons.  Over 
the  narrow,  carved  mantelpiece  was  a  fine  oil  painting  representing 
a  very  handsome  young  man  of  about  25,  with  blue  eyes,  short, 
black  curls,  and  a  frank  and  open  smile. 

"  There  is  poor  John's  picture,"  said  Uncle  Tim. 

Dr.  Haworth  looked  up  at  it.  It  was  the  most  remarkable 
likeness  of  Jean  Baptiste. 

At  the  same  moment  the  voice  of  Miss  Gary  was  heard  calling 
from  the  hall  below  : 

"  Where  are  you,  Uncle  ?  " 


XL 

PROF.  LESNER'S  THEORY. 

DR.  HAWORTH  rode  away  from  Mauricewood  a  little  before 
sunset.  Gary's  hand  had  remained  in  his  own  a  moment  as  he 
bowed  and  took  leave.  She  was  charming  as  she  leaned  back  in 
her  arm-chair,  looking  up  at  him  out  of  her  great  blue  eyes,  with  a 
little  color  in  her  cheeks  and  a  happy  smile.  His  own  fixed  look 
made  the  roses  redder,  and  then  the  following  dialogue  ensued : 

"  You  have  forgotten  the  portfolio,  Miss  Maurice." 

"  Oh,  you  must  not  trouble  yourself  to  take  it." 

"  It  is  no  trouble." 

"  I  can  return  it  to  Prof.  Lesner  by  a  servant." 

"  He  may  wish  it — it  is  scarcely  a  quarter  of  a  mile  out  of  my 
way." 

"  You  are  very  kind  then." 

And  Miss  Gary  delivered  the  portfolio,  after  which  Dr.  Haworth 
rode  away.  He  went  on  in  profound  thought  and  reached  Prof.  Les- 
ner's  just  at  sunset.  That  gentleman  was  seated  on  a  rustic  bench 
with  a  canary  singing  beside  him,  a  bunch  of  autumn  blooms  in  his 
button-hole,  and  reading  a  folio  volume  which  rested  on  his  knees. 

"  Dr.  Haworth,  if  my  poor  eyes  do  not  deceive  me,"  he  said,  ris 
ing  courteously. 


46  PROF.  LESKER'S  THEORY. 

His  visitor  bowed. 

"  Miss  Maurice  requested  me  to  return  your  portfolio,  sir — that 
which  contained  the  ferns." 

"  It  was  unnecessary ;  I  had  quite  lost  sight  of  it.  Sit  down, 
Doctor,  sit  down." 

And  the  benignant  old  Professor  pointed  to  the  rustic  bench, 
which  was  large  enough  for  two  or  three  persons. 

"  I  was  reading — it  is  nearly  my  only  amusement,"  he  said.  "  I 
am  a  little  lonely  now  and  then,  as  I  have  never  married — a  gieat 
mistake — but  I  manage  to  pass  the  time." 

"  Reading  is  occupation,"  Dr.  Haworth  said.  He  had  taken  his 
seat  resolving  to  remain  a  few  moments. 

"  A  great  resource,"  returned  the  smiling  old  Professor. 

"  But  a  more  effectual  means  still  of  killing  time  is  writing — I 
mean  literary  composition." 

"  I  have  found  that  true,  Doctor." 

"  You  write,  then  ?  " 

"  Yes,  a  little  on  scientific  subjects." 

"  On  physical  science,  perhaps  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  I  know  of  no  other." 

"  There  is  the  psychological." 

Prof.  Lesner  looked  at  his  visitor.  The  title  of  his  work  about 
to  be  published  by  Mr.  Burdette  was  the  "  Psychology  of  Opium." 

Prof.  Lesner,  seeing  only  a  composed  face  opposite  to  him,  which 
indicated  nothing,  shook  his  head  and  replied  : 

"  I  am  afraid  the  term  psychological,  as  applied  to  science,  is 
misleading.  The  soul — if  there  is  one — is  a  mystery,  and  we  know 
nothing  of  it." 

"  Do  you  doubt  the  existence  of  a  soul  in  man  ?  " 

Prof.  Lesner  did  not  reply  for  a  moment.     He  then  said  mildly : 

"  Is  it  proved  to  exist  ?    The  body  exists." 

"  Are  you  certain  ?  " 

"  I  think  I  am,"  said  Prof.  Lesner  smiling.  "  My  senses  prove 
its  existence." 

"  The  senses  are  not  trustworthy.  You  are  no  doubt  aware  of 
the  phenomena  accompanying  hallucination  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  That  certain  excellent  people  distinctly  see  the  dead  come  into 
the  room  where  they  sit  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Doctor ;  but  these  excellent  people  have  diseased  senses. 


PROF.  LESNER' S  THEORY.          47 

In  a  normal  state  these  same  senses  are  reliable,  and  the  only  re 
liance." 

"  You  attach  no  faith,  then,  to  the  inborn  sentiment  of  the  exist 
ence  of  a  soul  and  a  future  life  ?  " 

"  I  am  obliged  to  repeat,  Doctor,  that  nothing  is  proved.  Evo 
lution — development — that  is  demonstrated." 

"  That  man  descends  or  ascends  from  the  monkeys  ?  " 

The  Professor  laughed. 

"  That  is  one  of  the  popular  phrases  which  obscure  scientific 
discussion." 

"  Phrases  often  have  a  rude  truth  in  them,"  said  Dr.  Haworth, 
"  as  where  Mr.  Carlyle  calls  the  development  theory  the  '  Gospel  of 
dirt.' " 

"  A  hardy  adversary,  my  dear  Doctor  !  But  Mr.  Carlyle  was  not 
a  sound  thinker.  He  was  all  his  life  tormented  by  dyspepsia.  That 
clouds  the  mind." 

"  No  doubt — he  was  a  sufferer  like  Heine,  though,  unlike  Heine, 
he  never  resorted  to  anodynes." 

"  Heine  was  a  very  great  genius,"  said  Prof.  Lesner. 

"  And  believed  in  nothing  but  the  agony  in  his  spine.  It  is  not 
surprising  that  he  lived  on  opium." 

"  It  is  not  surprising,"  said  Prof.  Lesner,  sighing ;  "  and  he  was 
much  more  excusable  than  Coleridge." 

"  You  blame  Coleridge  ?  " 

"  Of  course,  Doctor.  Poor  Heine  was  incessantly  wracked  with 
pain,  but  it  is  not  said  that  Coleridge  was.  He  fell  a  victim  to  the 
drug  from  weakness  of  will  and  the  force  of  circumstances." 

"  I  have  forgotten  the  details.  Did  he  smoke  or  use  the  drug  in 
the  form  of  laudanum  ?  " 

"The  latter,  I  believe." 

"  Smoking  seems  to  be  the  method  preferred  by  the  Chinese — at 
least,  the  papers  say  so  of  the  Chinese  population  of  New  York." 

"  I — think  so,"  said  Prof.  Lesner  sadly. 

Dr.  Haworth,  who  had  directed  the  conversation  to  the  opium 
subject  more  from  inadvertence  than  design,  felt  a  sentiment  of  com 
punction  as  he  looked  at  the  sad  face  and  gray  hair  of  his  companion. 
He  had  no  desire  whatever  to  make  the  application  of  his  views  per 
sonal,  or  reveal  his  knowledge  of  the  scene  in  Mott  street.  Here 
was  an  old  scholar,  who  had,  no  doubt,  accidentally  contracted  the 
habit  of  using  opium,  probably  like  De  Quincey,  to  relieve  physical 


48  PROF.  LESNER' S  THEORY. 

pain  at  first,  and  finally  as  a  source  of  mental  enjoyment  in  his 
lonely  condition.  It  was  unfortunate — there  all  ended. 

"  Well,  I  believe  it  is  conceded,  sir,"  he  said,  "  that  the  opium 
habit,  under  whatever  form,  is  unfortunate.  It  is  said  to  subjugate 
the  will  and  destroy  a  man's  energy.  But  let  us  change  the  topic. 
I  am  returning  from  an  agreeable  visit  to  Mauricewood." 

"  A  delightful  place  !  "  said  old  Prof.  Lesner,  brightening  up. 

"  You  know  the  family — the  rest  as  well  a»  Miss  Maurice  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes !    They  are  all  my  attached  friends." 

"  I  congratulate  you  upon  having  such  attractive  neighbors." 

"  Yes,  I  always  feel  as  if  the  sunshine  were  coming  out  when  1 
am  in  sight  of  the  house,"  said  Prof.  Lesner  cheerfully,  "  though  I 
seldom  leave  home." 

"That  is  very  poetical  and  very  just — your  description.  The 
family  deserve  some  credit,  too,  for  their  cheerfulness  under  the  cir 
cumstances." 

"  The  circumstances  ?  "  said  the  Professor,  with  a  puzzled  look. 

"  I  referred  to  the  unfortunate  affair  which  took  place,  you  know, 
at  Mauricewood — the  murder  of  Mr.  Maurice." 

The  Professor  sighed  and  said : 

"  I  suppose  Mr.  Tim  Maurice  mentioned  it.  Yes,  it  was  a  touch 
ing  affair.  But  time  wears  away  the  memory  of  almost  everything, 
Doctor.  Miss  Gary  was  not  born  and  her  mother  has,  I  think, 
nearly  forgotten  it.  It  occurred,  I  think— yes — fully  twenty  years 
ago." 

"  A  very  singular  affair.  I  confess  it  has  puzzled  me  completely 
to  arrive  at  any  satisfactory  conclusion  in  reference  to  it." 

"  You  mean  as  to  the  real  person  who  committed  the  crime — 
yes,  that  is  still  a  mystery." 

"  Have  you  ever  framed  an  hypothesis  ?  "  said  Dr.  Haworth. 
yielding  to  the  temptation  to  discuss  what  had  become  his  possess 
ing  idea.  Prof.  Lesner  shook  his  head. 

"  None  that  satisfies  me,"  he  replied. 

"  I  understood  that  you  doubt  whether  Mr.  Ducis  was  the  crimi 
nal  ?  " 

"  I  could  never  believe  it.  His  character  contradicted  the  very 
idea.  In  spite  of  the  terribly  circumstantial  evidence,  I  could  never 
convince  myself  that  Mr.  Ducis  was  in  any  manner  connected  with 
the  crime." 

"  Was  the  woman — the  servant  or  housekeeper?  " 


PROF.  LESNER'S  THEORY. 


49 


"  That  also  seems  improbable.  Women  are  not  apt  to  commit 
murder  by  means  of  deadly  weapons." 

"  There  was  a  man,  a  manager,  I  believe,  with  whom  Mr.  Mau 
rice  had  quarreled.  I  think  he  was  arrested  and  charged  with  the 
murder." 

"  Yes,  but  both  he  and  the  woman  were  discharged,  as  there 
was  no  proof  against  them." 

"  Still,  the  crime  was  actually  committed.  Mr.  Maurice  died  by 
violence,  and  some  one  must  have  been  concerned  in  the  event." 

Prof.  Lesner  nodded  and  seemed  to  reflect.     He  then  said : 

"  This  is  the  first  time  in  many  years  that  the  subject  has  been 
recalled  to  my  mind.  I  remember,  however,  the  drift  of  my  specu 
lations  at  the  time.  You  will  probably  differ  with  me  in  my  conclu 
sion,  however;  it  has  not  much,  I  confess,  to  support  it." 

"  You  came  to  a  conclusion,  then  ?  "  said  Dr.  Haworth,  turning 
his  head  quickly. 

"  Yes." 

"  I  should  be  very  much  interested  if  you  would  state  it." 

"  I  will  do  so  with  pleasure,  though  it  will  probably  appear  ab 
surd.  After  reflecting  upon  the  whole  matter,  I  concluded  in  my 
own  mind  that  Mr.  Maurice  was  not  murdered  at  all." 

"  Not  murdered  ?  " 

"  That  he  himself  was  the  author  of  the  accident  which  resulted 
in  his  death." 

"  He  himself  ? — the  accident  ?  " 

"  Yes— an  accident  so  simple  that  from  its  very  simplicity  it 
never  occurred  to  anybody.  If  you  have  observed  the  floors  at 
Mauricewood  you  must  have  admired  their  high  polish  which  is  the 
result  of  continuous  scrubbing.  There  was  formerly,  and  I  believe 
is  still,  in  the  South,  a  great  preference  for  bare  floors,  which  are 
much  cooler  in  the  summer  than  those  covered  with  carpeting  or 
matting.  The  only  objection  to  them  is  the  defacement  produced 
by  grease  or  other  stains ;  and  this  has  always  been  counteracted 
by  laborious  scrubbing  with  a  heavy  block  of  wood  to  the  face  of 
which  is  affixed  a  stiff  brush  or  a  mat  of  com  '  shucks,'  as  we  call 
them.  A  long  handle  is  inserted  into  the  block,  and  by  dragging  it 
to  and  fro  a  very  smooth  surface  and  high  polish  is  produced  by 
the  friction." 

"  Yes,  yes,  I  understand,  sir.     But — your  theory " 

"  I  will  proceed  to  state  it,  my  dear  Doctor.  If  it  seems  fanci- 
3 


5O  PROF.    I.ES.YER'S    THEORY. 

ful  it  will  do  no  harm.  My  theory,  then,  is  that  the  chamber  occu 
pied  by  Mr.  Maurice  on  the  night  of  the  marriage  was  thus  scrubbed 
to  a  degree  which  rendered  it  slippery.  He  probably  rose  during 
the  night,  possibly  to  close  the  window,  which  may  have  been  left 
open,  and  putting  on  his  slippers  attempted  to  do  so." 

"  And—" 

"  You  understand  me,  I  see.  He  slipped  and  lost  his  balance, 
and  in  falling  struck  his  temple  against  an  angle  of  the  carved  bed 
stead,  uttered  a  cry  of  pain,  and  staggering  to  the  bed  groaned  so 
that  he  waked  his  wife — the  whole  resulting  in  his  death  from  syn 
cope." 

Dr.  Haworth,  who  had  listened  attentively,  shook  his  head  and 
said: 

"  I  fear  that  theory  is  what  you  call  it — fanciful.  How  are  we 
to  account  for  the  disappearance  of  the  money,  and  the  hammer 
and  glove  ?  " 

"  I  have  never  been  able  to  do  so.  Everything  is  pure  conjec 
ture.  As  to  the  first — the  sum  in  gold  and  bank-notes  which  Mr. 
Maurice  was  supposed  to  have  placed  on  his  night-table  when  he 
undressed — the  evidence,  I  think,  was  rather  vague.  It  was  shown, 
if  I  remember  aright,  that  he  did  place  it  there.  If  so,  it  was,  of 
course,  stolen — possibly  by  the  housekeeper — or  it  may  have  been 
knocked  from  the  table  by  Mr.  Maurice  in  regaining  the  bed  after  his 
fall,  and  afterwards  found  by  some  dishonest  servant  under  the  bed." 

"  That  is  possible,  but  not  probable." 

"  But  we  are  driven  to  conjecture,  and  I  grant  you  all  this  is 
pure  supposition.  It  seems  tolerably  certain  that  some  one  must 
have  stolen  the  sum,  unless  Mr.  Maurice  used  it,  of  which  there  is 
no  proof." 

"  And  the  gloves  and  hammer  ?  " 

"  As  I  said,  I  could  never  account  for  either.  The  hammer  was 
apparently  of  the  sort  only  used  for  chipping  rock  specimens.  I 
examined  it,  I  remember.  But  it  was  utterly  unreasonable  to  con 
vict  Mr.  Ducis  merely  on  the  strength  of  so  trifling  a  circumstance." 

"  But  the  buckskin  riding-glove  ?  " 

"  That  was  more  absurd  still.  The  hammer  was  a  hammer  and 
the  glove  was  a  glove,  and  they  were  both  found  near  the  scene  of 
the  crime,  that  was  all.  To  prove  that  they  were  the  property  of 
Mr.  Ducis  or  some  other  murderer  was  essential,  if  that  was  all  the 
evidence." 


PROF.  LESNER'S   THEORY.  tjj 

"Your  view  is  singular,"  said  Dr.  Haworth  thoughtfully.  "I 
can  scarcely  say  that  it  convinces  me." 

"  It  is  merely  suggested  in  reply  to  your  question  what  I  thought 
of  the  affair,  Doctor." 

Dr.  Haworth  bowed. 

"  I  am  much  interested  in  this  enigma,"  he  said,  "  a  common 
weakness  in  the  case  of  idle  people.  I  see  you  regard  Mr.  Ducis  as 
an  innocent  man — what  is  your  opinion  of  the  question  of  the  alibi 
set  up  by  the  defense  ?  " 

"  I  have  always  thought  that  Mr.  Ducis  was  really  absent  at  the 
time  of  the  murder,  and  that  the  register  on  the  warehouse  books 
was  simply  a  clerical  error." 

"  A  clerical  error?  " 

"  Yes,  Doctor.  Mr.  Ducis,  I  remember,  stated  that  he  had 
made  some  purchases  on  a  certain  day — the  day  of  the  murder — 
and  not  returned  home  until  the  next  day.  The  warehouse  ledger 
contradicted  him,  but  it  is  probable  that  the  clerk  or  proprietor  had 
neglected  to  make  the  entry  of  the  purchase  on  the  day  before,  and 
possibly  seeing  Mr.  Ducis  pass  on  his  way  home  was  reminded  of 
his  forgetfulness,  and  from  oversight  made  the  entry  as  of  that  date. 
This,  you  see,  would  allow  for  the  fact  that  the  warehouse  ledger 
did  not  establish  the  alibi." 

"  A  trifle  involving  a  man's  life !  " 

"  Yes,  unhappily,  what  are  called  trifles  very  often  do.  I  am 
only  trying  to  establish  an  hypothesis,  you  see,  consistent  with  Mr. 
Ducis'  innocence.  The  ledger  seemed  to  show  that  he  had  not 
made  the  purchases  on  the  day  of  Mr.  Maurice's  death,  but  on  the 
day  succeeding.  There  was  another  hypothesis  that  you  may  re 
gard  as  the  most  fanciful  of  all,  but  it  really  occurred  to  me." 

"  What  was  that  ?  " 

"  That  Mr.  Maurice's  death  was  the  result  of  a  deep  design  con 
ceived  by  some  secret  enemy  of  Mr.  Ducis,  who  entered  the  ware 
house  and  changed  the  date." 

"  As  we  are  wandering  on  the  ocean  of  conjecture,"  said  Dr. 
Haworth,  "  that,  also,  was  possible." 

"  It  was  shown,  I  think,  to  be  a  mistake.  There  was  no  erasure 
such  as  would  have  been  necessary,  in  altering  the  date  in  the 
ledger.  I  am,  therefore,  forced  to  adopt  the  clerical  error  theory." 

Prof.  Lesner  then  sighed,  and  said  : 

"  These  old  neighborhood  matters  occurred  a  long  time  sine?, 

i 


52  JEAN-  BAPTISTE. 

I  seldom  recall  them,  as  they  are  rather  saddening,  and  only  puzzle 
my  poor  brains.  As  I  said,  I  never  believed  that  Mr.  Ducis  was 
guilty,  but  human  nature  is  a  strange  mixture.  He  was  a  man  of 
the  highest  character,  but  it  must  be  confessed  appearances  were 
terribly  against  him.  Now,  let  us  converse  of  something  more 
cheerful,  Doctor.  Do  you  make  any  stay  in  the  neighborhood  ?  If 
I  were  as  young  and  good  looking  as  yourself  I  should  find  it  diffi 
cult  to  leave  the  vicinity  of — Mauricewood." 

The  Professor  smiled  rather  slyly,  and  as  Dr.  Haworth  rose  to 
go,  said : 

"  Come  and  see  me  whenever  you  have  leisure,  though  there  is 
not  much  to  attract  you  in  the  society  of  a  poor  old  scholar  like 
myself.  I  have  been  quite  interested  in  our  talk." 

"  And  I  also,  sir." 

"  I  am  glad  we  touched  on  the  subject.  I  never  omit  an  oppor 
tunity  to  say  that  I  believe  Mr.  Ducis  was  innocent ;  he  was  one  of 
my  kindest  friends.  True,  all  the  Maurice  family  were  the  same, 
but  I  shrink  from  injustice.  I  am  sure  Mr.  Ducis  was  innocent." 

"  I  am  not  certain  I  do  not  have  your  view,"  said  Dr.  Haworth, 
"  and  am  much  obliged  by  your  invitation.  I  will  be  glad  to  avail 
myself  of  it." 

"  He  then  bowed  and  rode  away  in  deep  reflection.  He  was  no 
doubt  revolving  in  his  mind  the  simple  hypothesis  suggested  by 
Prof.  Lesner — that  Mr.  Maurice's  death  was  the  result  of  accident. 
Could  that  have  been  true  ?  It  was  possible — but  Dr.  Haworth 
shook  his  head. 

"  I  do  not  believe  it ! "  he  muttered. 


XII. 

JEAN   BAPTISTE. 

ON  this  evening,  about  dusk,  Jean  Baptiste  was  seated  on  a 
bench  in  front  of  the  modest  house  of  "  Hunter  Wilson,"  in  the 
hills,  amusing  his  noisy  children  who  had  gathered  around  him,  by 
telling  them  wonderful  stories.  They  were  listening  m  open-eyed 
astonishment,  and  a  little  girl  who  was  perched  on  his  knee  looked 
at  him  with  open  mouth  and  the  profoundest  admiration. 

At  the  approach  of  Dr.  Haworth,  however,  the  wonders  came  to 


BAPTISTS.  53 

a  sudden  end.  Jean  let  down  the  little  girl,  and  ran  to  meet  the 
Doctor  with  a  smile  of  pleasure. 

"  Your  Excellency  is  just  in  time  for  supper — broiled  venison," 
he  exclaimed,  taking  the  horse. 

"  And  you  are  hungry,  no  doubt,  Jean !  "  he  said,  looking  kindly 
at  the  boy. 

"  Not  so  hungry,"  laughed  Jean. 

"  Will  you  throw  my  bridle  over  that  bough,  then,  and  come  and 
talk  with  me  a  few  minutes  ?  " 

Dr.  Haworth  went  to  a  knoll  about  fifty  yards  distant  where  a 
ledge  of  rock  jutted  from  the  sward,  and  sat  down,  pointing  to  the 
place  beside  him.  Jean  took  the  seat  and  looked  at  his  master  in 
quiringly. 

"  I  have  never  told  you  how  much  you  have  interested  me, 
Jean,"  said  Dr.  Haworth.  "  At  your  age  young  fellows  are  gener 
ally  mere  boys.  You  are  a  prudent  and  acute  man,  as  when  you 
repeated  to  me  every  word  uttered  by  Col.  Ross  to  those  people." 

Jean  colored  slightly  and  said : 

"  Do  you  know  what  makes  me  cool  ?  " 

"What?" 

"  Devotion  to  your  Excellency." 

"  Very  well.  Devotion  is  a  trait  which  is  apt  to  be  repaid  in  the 
same  coin.  Now,  to  come  to  another  matter.  I  want  you  to  tell 
me  all  you  know  about  yourself — your  history." 

"  My  history  ?  " 

"  The  story  of  your  life — in  South  America,  before  I  became  ac 
quainted  with  you." 

"  When  I  was  a  boy  ?  " 

"  From  your  childhood ;  you  have  told  me  something,  but  it  was 
not  much.  I  found  you  roaming  about  Lima  ;  a  young  fellow  with 
a  bright  face,  ready  to  turn  an  honest  penny,  and  a  penny  of  no 
other  sort.  So  I  took  you  into  my  service.  I  liked  your  face." 

"  You  were  so  kind  !     You  were  always  so  good  to  me ! " 

"  Leave  that  aside,  and  tell  me  your  story." 

"  There  is  none  to  tell.  My  first  recollection  of  myself  is  travel 
ing  on  the  high  road  to  Callao,  slung  behind  old  Mother  Pinza's 
shoulders  in  a  sort  of  pouch.  She  was  not  my  mother — she  was  an 
old  half-breed,  and  lived  a  lonely  life,  so  I  ran  off  one  day  when  I 
was  about  10  years  old  and  went  to  Lima." 

"  Who  were  your  father  and  mother?  " 


54  JEAN  BAPTISTS. 

At  this  question  Jean  Baptiste  shook  his  head. 

"I  really  do  not  know,"  he  said.  "I  often  tried  to  find  out 
something  about  myself,  but  old  Mother  Pinza  couldn't  tell  me. 
She  was  very  ignorant.  All  I  could  get  from  her  amounted  to  very 
little." 

"  What  was  it  ?  " 

•'  Well,  I  could  only  make  out  that  I  had  been  left  with  her  when 
I  was  a  baby  by  some  one  or  other." 

"  She  could  not  tell  you  the  names  of  your  parents,  then  ?  " 

"  She  either  could  not  or  would  not.     I  think  she  could  not." 

"  And  you  never  discovered  any  traces  of  them  ?  " 

"  No,  Excellency.  I  only  remember  hearing  vaguely  in  some 
way  that  my  father  was  an  American." 

"  A  South  American  ?  " 

"  No,  a  native  of  the  United  States." 

"  And  your  mother  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  know  who  my  mother  was,  but  I  think  she  was  a 
French  woman.  You  know  my  name  is  Jean  Baptiste." 

"  Possibly  ;  so  this  is  all  you  can  tell  me  ?  " 

"  All,  Excellency— you  see  it  is  almost  nothing." 

"  Are  your  father  and  mother  living  ?  " 

"  I  think  they  are  dead." 

"  When  did  they  die  ?  " 

Jean  again  shook  his  head  and  said  : 

"  I  know  nothing  at  all  about  it,  Excellency.  I  know  it  was  very 
foolish  in  me  to  be  so  indifferent  on  the  subject.  I  was  not  really 
indifferent,  but  I  am  sure  I  might  have  found  out  more  if  I  had 
been  more  persevering.  But  you  know  how  it  is  in  South  America. 
People  live  a  careless  life  under  the  blazing  sun.  They  eat  and 
sleep  and  don't  think  much.  I  was  too  ignorant  to  take  the  right 
steps,  and  have  always  been  too  thoughtless  and  light  hearted." 

"  Your  heart  may  have  been  light,  but  it  has  always  been  in  the 
right  place,"  said  Dr.  Haworth.  "  So  you  have  told  me  all  you 
know  ?  " 

Jean  reflected  before  replying. 

"  There  was  a  ring,"  he  said  suddenly.  "  I  remember  playing 
with  it  when  I  was  a  child." 

"  A  ring  ?  " 

"  A  gold  ring — I  am  sure  it  was  my  mother's." 

"Where  is  it?" 


•JEAN  BAPTISTE.  55 

"  Mother  Pinza  must  have  sold  it.  I  don't  know.  She  was  very 
poor  and  loved  money  better  than  everything  else  on  earth.  I  re 
member  the  ring  perfectly  well,  but  she  denied  all  about  it  when  I 
asked  for  it  just  before  I  left  South  America." 

"  She,  no  doubt,  sold  it — at  Lima  or  Callao,  which  are  not  far, 
you  know,  from  her  cabin." 

"  Your  Excellency  knows  where  Mother  Pinza  lived !  "  Jean  said. 

"  Yes,"  said  Dr.  Haworth. 

"  You  have  seen  her  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

Jean  said  nothing  more,  but  he  was  evidently  puzzled. 

"I  know  Mother  Pinza,"  said  Dr.  Haworth,  "and  possibly  more 
about  yourself  than  you  have  told  me.  To  be  plain,  the  object  of 
this  talk  was  to  find  whether  you  had  discovered  anything  after  our 
last  conversation  at  Lima.  You  don't  know  when  your  mother 
died?" 

"  I  do  not,  Excellency." 

"Well,  that  is  all  I  have  to  say  now,  Jean.     Supper  is  waiting." 

They  went  back  and  supped  with  the  hunter  and  his  family, 
after  which  Dr.  Haworth  went  to  his  small  chamber,  in  one  corner 
of  which  was  stretched  a  pallet  for  the  boy.  There  were  writing 
materials  on  a  table,  and  he  sat  down  and  wrote  a  letter.  This  he 
folded  and  directed  to  Senor  Espartero,  Notary,  Calle  Plateros, 
South  America,  and  then  leaning  back  in  his  chair  reflected  for  a 
long  time.  At  last  he  muttered :  "  Espartero  is  not  a  man  who 
fails  in  anything  or  loses  time  where  bank  notes  are  concerned.  I 
shall  soon  have  his  reply." 

Jean  came  in  and  sat  down  beside  the  fire.  His  master  looked 
at  him  thoughtfully  and  said  : 

"  I  wish  to  caution  you  more  than  ever,  Jean,  to  be  on  your 
guard  during  our  stay  in  this  country.  I  have  said,  and  repeat,  that 
you  are  one  of  the  most  discreet  young  men  I  have  ever  known,  but 
I  caution  you  again  in  spite  of  the  fact." 

"  You  need  not,"  said  Jean  simply. 

"Well — open  and  close  that  door." 

Jean  reached  the  door  with  noiseless  feet,  opened  it,  looked  out 
and  again  closed  it. 

"  There  is  no  one — your  Excellency  can  say  what  you  wish  to 
say." 

"  It  is  only  a  few  words,"  said  Dr.  Haworth,  speaking  in  a  low 


jjg  JEAN  BAPTISTS. 

tone.  "  I  am  here  to  discover  something  which  I  mean  to  know  at 
whatever  risk.  There  is  risk — from  three  people.  You  have  seen 
them  all ;  or  at  least  two  of  them.  They  are  the  man  you  know, 
the  woman  you  heard  him  talking  with  at  that  house,  and  the 
woman's  husband." 

Jean,  looking  intently  at  his  watch,  made  a  quiet  movement  with 
his  head  and  said : 

"  Yes,  Excellency,  but  Col.  Ross  is  a  long  way  the  most  danger 
ous  of  the  three." 

"  You  really  seem  to  have  a  great  prejudice  against  our  poor 
friend,  the  Colonel,"  said  Dr.  Haworth,  grimly. 

"  A  prejudice,  Excellency  ?  The  man  is  a  snake !  Carrajo ! 
How  I  hate  him !  He  sent  that  torpedo  boat  to  blow  us  up  in  Cal- 
lao  Harbor,  and  he  gave  me  this  cut  on  my  head !  I  was  off  my 
guard.  He  was  about  to  cut  at  me  again.  Your  Excellency  saved 
me  by  cutting  at  him ! " 

"  Well,  I  see  you  don't  like  him,  and  your  instinct  in  the  matter 
is  a  true  instinct.  To  be  plain — I  told  you  that  I  meant  to  trust 
you  implicitly — this  man  has  done  much  worse  than  cut  down  an 
enemy  in  fair  fight.  If  he  has  not  committed  a  murder  in  which  I 
am  interested,  he  has  been  concerned  in  it.  I  have  come  here  to 
discover  all  about  it,  for  the  gratification  of  my  personal  curiosity. 
He  knows  my  object  without  knowing  what  motive  I  have ;  and  I 
need  not  tell  you  that  a  struggle  with  such  a  man  is  a  matter  of  life 
and  death." 

"  To  both  of  us — yes,  Excellency." 

"  No — not  to  you." 

"  Does  your  Excellency  think  I  care  for  my  life  ?  It  belongs  to 
you." 

Dr.  Haworth  looked  at  the  boy  and  smiled,  which  made  his 
grave  face  an  attractive  spectacle. 

"  Gratitude ! "  he  murmured  ;  "  then  the  definition  of  the  term  is 
not  only  '  a  word  found  in  the  dictionary ! ' " 

Jean  looked  at  him  with  an  expression  of  the  deepest  affection, 
and  as  if  inquiring  what  he  had  said. 

"  I  was  muttering  to  myself,  you  can  see,  Jean— a  bad  habit,  the 
result  of  living  in  solitude.  What  I  said  was  that  the  sentiment 
called  gratitude  is  a  conventional  illusion  rather  than  an  actual  trait 
of  human  nature.  People  talk  of  it,  but  rarely  meet  with  it  in  real 
life — you  have  it." 


BAPTISTS. 


57 


"  Have  it  ?  Why  should  I  not  have  it  ?  "  cried  Jean,  impulsively. 
v<  Your  Excellency  took  me  when  I  was  a  poor  child  in  the  streets 
and  gave  me  a  home  !  You  not  only  gave  me  a  home,  but  educated 
me  and  made  me  your  companion.  I  was  proud  to  be  your  servant, 
to  wait  on  you  and  do  all  that  I  could  to  please  you.  But  that  did 
not  satisfy  you  —  you  are  such  an  exacting  Excellency  !  You  must 
make  me  your  secretary  and  almost  a  gentleman  !  " 

"  I  did  not  make  you  that.  You  became  such  of  your  own  mo 
tion,  and  not  '  almost,'  either  —  wholly." 

"  Your  Excellency  is  so  good  !  Well,  you  saved  me  —  not  my 
life  only,  when  that  man's  cutlass  was  going  to  cut  me  down  —  you 
saved  me  from  becoming  a  mere  vagabond.  Thanks  to  you,  I  am 
educated,  well  dressed  ;  I  hope  I  am  what  is  called  respectable  !  " 

"  In  every  sense,  and  more." 

"  Well,  I  owe  all  to  you." 

"And  you  left  me,"  said  Dr.  Haworth,  smiling. 

Jean  Baptiste  exclaimed  : 

"  I  had  to,  Excellency  !  There  was  some  one  who  —  I  thought  I 
would  go  away  for  a  year  or  two  —  and  try  to  forget  her." 

"Well,"  said  Dr.  Haworth,  smiling,  "what  is  the  result?  Have 
you  gotten  over  the  effect  of  your  sweet  honey-poison  ?  " 

Jean's  color  deepened. 

"I  can't  say  I  have,"  he  replied  with  a  rueful  laugh;  "but  I 
keep  up  my  good  spirits.  Some  day  I  may  meet  her  again." 

"  I  see  you  are  not  cured.  When  a  young  lover  talks  in  that 
way  he  has  not  given  up  all  hope.  Well  —  patience  and  shuffle  the 
cards.  We  are  going  back  to  Lima  soon  ;  for  you  will  return,  will 
you  not  ?  " 

"  I  was  thinking  of  it  when  you  came  to  New  York." 

"Very  well  ;  that  is  assured,  then.     Keep  up  your  spirits." 

"  They  keep  up  of  themselves,"  said  Jean,  with  a  light  laugh. 

"  Very  well  ;  then  we  will  return  together,  and  you  will  see  her 
again." 

On  the  next  day  Dr.  Haworth  rode  to  the  Town  of  Abbeyville 
and  mailed  his  letter  to  Senor  Espartero.  He  then  returned  home 
ward,  and  either  designedly  or  unconsciously  followed  the  road 
leading  by  Mauricewood.  About  a  mile  from  the  town  he  heard 
hoof-strokes  behind  him  rapidly  approaching,  and  turned  his  head. 

The  person  following  him  was  Col.  Ross. 


jg  COL.  ROSS. 

XIII. 

COL.  ROSS. 

COL.  Ross  rode  as  usual  a  very  fine  animal  and  was  elegantly 
dressed.  His  light  brown  ulster  of  the  finest  cloth  half  covered  his 
superb  riding  boots,  on  which  he  wore  silver  spurs.  His  black  rid 
ing  cap  was  trimmed  with  fur,  which  also  decorated  the  cuff j  of  his 
kid  gauntlets.  With  his  tall  person,  his  erect  seat  in  the  English 
saddle,  his  delicately  curled  mustache  and  his  ready  smile,  Col.  Ross 
was  the  model  of  a  "  gallant  cavalier." 

"  Good  morning,  Gen.  Haworth,"  he  said  as  he  rode  up.  "  We 
seem  to  be  riding  in  the  same  direction.  A  charming  day." 

Dr.  Haworth,  as  we  may  as  well  continue  to  call  him,  in  spite 
of  the  title  of  general  thus  applied  to  him,  bowed  and  said  :  "  A 
delightful  morning,"  after  which  the  two  men  rode  on  side  by  side. 

"  In  the  very  first  place,"  said  Col.  Ross,  with  a  courteous  smile, 
"let  me  make  you  an  apology,  General." 

"  An  apology  ?  You  owe  me  none,"  replied  Dr.  Haworth,  in  his 
composed  voice. 

"  For  meeting  you  so  formally  at  Mr.  Maurice's.  I  had  not  an 
ticipated  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you,  and  supposed  that  I  was  de 
ceived  by  a  resemblance.  This  must  be  my  excuse  for  so  ungra 
cious  a  reception  of  an  old  friend." 

When  Col.  Ross  said  "  old  friend,"  he  showed  a  row  of  very 
fine  white  teeth  under  his  black  mustache. 

"  It  was  unpardonable  !  "  he  added. 

"  Nothing  was  more  natural,"  said  Dr.  Haworth. 

"  I  am  glad  you  are  so  charitable.  I  was  annoyed  by  the  idea 
that  you  might  suppose  our  little  differences  down  yonder  had  made 
me  unfriendly."  This  time  Col.  Ross  laughed.  "  The  little  affair 
in  Callao  harbor,  you  know  ! "  he  said. 

"  A  trifle,"  replied  Dr.  Haworth.  "  A  difference  of  flags  does 
not  necessarily  make  men  enemies." 

"  Surely  not.  I  was  in  the  Chilian  service,  and  you  in  that  of 
Peru.  As  a  consequence,  when  we  chanced  to  meet  sword  in  hand, 
we  fought  as  a  matter  of  course." 

"  As  a  matter  of  course,"  said  Dr.  Haworth,  who  seemed  willing 
that  his  companion  should  bear  the  burden  of  the  conversation. 

"  It  has  always  struck  me  as  somewhat  singular  that  two  officers 


COL.  ROSS. 


59 


of  the  land  forces  should  have  been  engaged  in  that  affair,"  said  Col. 
Ross.  "  A  soldier  ought  to  be  contented  with  the  amount  of  fight 
ing  which  falls  to  his  lot  in  his  proper  place — to  avoid  volunteering." 

"  You  are  right.  I  had  myself  gone  on  board  the  Peruvian 
steamer  on  a  mere  matter  of  business  when  that  ingenious  attempt 
was  made  to  blow  up  the  vessel.  Were  you  aware  of  it  ?  " 

"  Well,  I  was  not  the  author  of  it.  Like  yourself  I  was  on  board 
ship  by  mere  accident." 

"  The  device  was  not  your  own,  then  ?  " 

"  Mine  ?  No,  indeed.  I  confess  I  should  never  have  imagined 
such  a  thing  !  "  The  Colonel  laughed  and  added  :  "  It  was  worthy 
of  those  Chilian  people,  who,  between  you  and  me,  are  a  bad  lot. 
Our  American  people  would  never  have  thought  of  fitting  a  market- 
boat  with  a  submerged  torpedo,  filling  it  with  bananas  and  clusters 
of  white  grapes,  and  turning  it  adrift  in  the  direction  of  your  war 
vessel." 

"  As  you  say,  the  invention  was  original." 

"  It  was  only  explained  to  me  after  its  execution  by  the  com 
mander  of  the  Conquestador,  with  whom  I  was  conversing  on  the 
deck  of  that  ship.  He  pointed  to  the  boat  as  it  drifted  toward  your 
steamer  and  said  :  '  There  is  a  prize  our  Peruvian  friends  are  going 
to  haul  in  with  a  boat  hook.'  And  then  he  explained  that  the  sub 
merged  torpedo  at  the  prow  of  the  boat  would  blow  you  sky-high  ! " 

"  He  was  nearly  right." 

"  Unfortunately.  I  say  unfortunately  because  such  things  are 
repugnant  to  my  instincts  as  a  North  American.  I  protested,  but, 
of  course,  had  no  right  to  give  orders  on  the  ship.  I  had  no  choice 
but  to  return  to  shore,  or  take  part  in  the  fight  which  followed." 

"  That  is  plain." 

"  So,  when  the  Conquestador  bore  down  on  you,  I  thought  I 
would  stay  and  see  the  affair.  One  of  your  sailors,  you  will  remem 
ber,  threw  a  rope  and  boat  hook  to  catch  the  boat,  with  its  load  of 
fresh  fruits  and  vegetables.  It  sheered  off  as  it  exploded,  which  was 
all  that  saved  you,  and  then  we  came  to  close  quarters." 

"  In  which  I  can  testify  that  you  bore  your  share." 

Col.  Ross  bowed  politely. 

"  I  am  able  to  bear  the  same  testimony  in  regard  to  yourself, 
General.  You  were  a  thunderbolt !  Excuse  my  grand  language. 
You  know  it  is  the  fashion  with  our  dear  South  Americans,  who  in 
variably  cry '  God  and  liberty ! '  when  they  are  about  to  thrust  their 


60  COL.  ROSS. 

hands  into  anybody's  pockets.  I  had  the  honor,  I  remember,  of 
meeting  you  sword  in  hand." 

"  After  cutting  down  some  of  my  best  men,  including  a  favorite 
young  body  servant." 

"  I  had  forgotten  that.  In  fact,  the  result  of  things  was  so  un 
pleasant  as  to  obscure  my  recollection  of  particular  incidents.  You 
captured  your  assailant,  the  Conquestador,  and  I  had  the  pleasure  of 
a  brief  residence  as  a  prisoner  at  Lima,  when  I  was  exchanged.  I 
had  nearly  forgotten  all  this,  but  seeing  you  again  has  reminded  me 
of  it." 

"  Naturally.    Do  you  make  any  stay  in  the  United  States  ?  " 

"  Well,  I  really  do  not  know.    I  have  a  little  business." 

"Take  care!  I  shall  understand  what  it  is  without  being 
told." 

"  Ah ! "  said  Col.  Ross  quietly. 

"  Every  North  American  who  has  business  with  South  America 
at  this  time  is  either  a  railway  contractor  or  an  agent  of  the  guano 
or  nitrate  claimants." 

Col.  Ross  laughed  and  said : 

"  I  have  heard  much  of  these  latter." 

"  Landreau  and  Cochet  are  the  French  claimants,  I  believe." 

"  I  think  so — or  rather  their  representatives ;  the  men  them 
selves  are  dead." 

"  Will  the  United  States  interpose  ?  " 

"  I  really  do  not  know — but  see  that  vista  through  the  oaks ! 
Decidedly,  there  is  no  comparison  between  North  and  South 
America." 

Dr.  Haworth  evidently  acquiesced  in  the  change  of  topic. 

"  I  prefer  this  country,"  he  said,  "  but  shall  probably  return  to 
Lima  at  the  end  of  autumn.  I  find  the  climate  here  too  agreeable 
to  leave  it  before  I  am  obliged  to  do  so." 

"  It  is  charming,  like  the  society.  I  see  you  have  made  the  ac 
quaintance  of  my  friends  at  Mauricewood." 

"  I  have  had  that  pleasure,"  said  Dr.  Haworth. 

"  You  could  not  have  been  more  fortunate.  I  had  the  honor  of 
escorting  the  ladies  this  summer  on  a  tour  to  Canada,  and  greatly 
enjoyed  their  society ;  in  addition  to  which  I  had  the  conviction  that 
I  was  performing  a  good  action." 

"  A  good  action  ?  " 

"  By  relieving  Mr.  Timothy  Maurice  of  the  necessity  of  escorting 


COL.  ROSS.  6r 

the  ladies.  He  wished  to  remain  at  home ;  and  nothing  pleased  me 
more  than  to  be  able  to  do  something  to  oblige  him." 

"  I  see  you  are  a  friend  of  his.  He  is  an  interesting  gentleman. 
I  have  seen  him  frequently,  and  have  been  much  interested  in  his 
reminiscences — especially  by  his  account  of  the  singular  death  of 
his  brother,  Mr.  James  Maurice." 

"  Yes,  that  was  a  sad  affair,  and  surrounded,  as  you  say,  by  very 
singular  incidents,"  replied  Col.  Ross. 

"  It  strangely  impressed  me,  even  the  narration  of  it.  It  must 
have  terribly  shocked  Mr.  Maurice's  friends  and  family  ?  " 

"  Terribly." 

"  As  you  are  a  resident  of  this  neighborhood  it  is  possible  that 
you  were  acquainted  with  the  murdered  man." 

"Yes,  I  had  seen  him  frequently." 

"  I  think  I  remember,"  said  Dr.  Haworth,  "  that  Mr.  Timothy 
Maurice  spoke  of  your  intimacy  with  his  nephew,  John  Maurice — in 
South  America,  was  it  not  ?  " 

Col.  Ross  looked  sidewise  at  his  companion,  just  sufficient  to 
bring  his  face  within  the  range  of  vision. 

"  Yes,  I  was  acquainted  with  Mr.  John  Maurice — in  South 
America,"  he  said.  Dr.  Haworth  listening,  keenly  discerned  in  the 
tone  of  his  companion  the  caution  of  a  swordsman  standing  on 
guard. 

"  So  you  were  not  intimate  with  him  ?  " 

"  I  was  not." 

"  I  only  asked,"  said  Dr.  Haworth  indifferently.  "  The  degree 
of  our  intimacy  with  people  naturally  measures  our  sympathy  when 
any  misfortune  befalls  them.  Mr.  Maurice,  the  younger,  must  have 
been  shocked  by  the  mysterious  death  of  his  uncle  and  father-in- 
law." 

"Very  naturally." 

"  I  say  mysterious,"  continued  Dr.  Haworth,  "  because,  so  far  as 
I  have  ascertained,  there  has  never  been  any  satisfactory  demon 
stration  that  the  affair  took  place  as  it  was  supposed  to  have  done." 

"  I  think  some  doubt  still  exists,"  said  Col.  Ross. 

"  I  mean  that  the  question  who  really  committed  the  murder  has 
never  been  answered." 

"  It  was  answered  in  one  sense  by  the  verdict  of  the  jury,"  said 
Col.  Ross. 

"  But  you  think  there  is  still  doubt  ?  " 


62  COL.   KOSS. 

"  I  think  the  affair  has  never  been  wholly  cleared  up." 

"  To  what  view  did  you  incline — that  Mr.  Ducis,  the  person  con 
victed  of  the  crime,  was  the  really  guilty  person  ?  " 

Col.  Ross  did  not  look  sidewise  this  time — his  eyes  were  fixed 
upon  the  mane  of  his  horse.  He  mused  apparently  for  a  moment, 
and  then  said : 

"  Well,  I  really  have  never  been  able  to  come  to  any  distinct  con 
clusion  on  the  subject.  The  case  is  altogether  a  labyrinth.  If  I  re 
member  there  were  three  or  four  persons  charged  with  the  crime, 
but  the  fact  remains  that  Mr.  Ducis  was  convicted  while  the  rest 
were  discharged." 

"  Do  you  think  he  was  guilty  ?  " 

"  It  is  hard  to  believe  it.     He  was  a  most  honorable  gentleman." 

"  Why,  then,  did  the  jury  convict  him  ?  " 

"  Well,  my  impression  is  that  they  were  forced,  as  they  supposed, 
to  bring  in  a  verdict  in  accordance  with  the  evidence." 

"  Which  traced  the  murder  to  Mr.  Ducis  ?  " 

"  They  seem  to  have  taken  that  view  at  least,  but  I  think  I  have 
heard  that  it  was  meant  as  a  form  only." 

"  A  form  ?  " 

"  I  think  it  was  the  general  impression  that  the  Executive  would 
pardon  Mr.  Ducis,  and  the  jury  were  reported  to  be  ready  to  sign  a 
petition  to  that  effect." 

"  Did  they  do  so  ?  " 

"  I  believe  not.  The  death  of  Mr.  Ducis  from  paralysis,  the  re 
sult  of  mental  excitement,  is  said  to  have  forestalled  it." 

Dr.  Haworth  rode  on  in  silence.     After  a  while  he  said  : 

"  As  Mr.  Ducis  was  convicted,  the  other  persons  accused  of  the 
crime  were  discharged,  I  suppose." 

"No  doubt." 

"  Well,  I  fear  I  weary  you  with  the  prolonged  discussion  of  this 
curious  old  affair.  I  can  only  say  that  it  has  presented  itself  to  me 
in  the  light  of  an  interesting  puzzle.  There  is  a  great  attraction  in 
such  incidents  when  we  meet  with  them  in  real  life,  instead  of  in  fic 
tion.  And  yet  the  writers  of  fiction  are  sometimes  valuable  detect 
ives.  If  we  could  resuscitate  Edgar  Poe  and  put  him  on  the  scent 
of  this  affair,  I  think  he  would  unravel  it." 

"  Do  you  think  so  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  his  powers  of  analysis  were  wonderful,  and  I  think  he 
would  reach  the  conclusion  that  I  myself  have  reached." 


DR.  HA  WORTH'S  IDEA.  63 

Col.  Ross  turned  his  head  slightly. 

"  Then  you  have  formed  a  theory  on  the  subject  ?  "  he  said. 

"A  distinct  one." 

"  May  I  ask  what  it  is  ?  " 

"  It  might  weary  you." 

"  You  need  have  no  such  fear,  General.  I  am  really  anxious  to 
hear  your  view." 

"  I  will  state  it  then,"  said  Dr.  Haworth. 

There  was  a  moment's  silence ;  the  footfalls  of  the  horses  going 
at  a  steady  walk  were  heard  keeping  time  to  each  other.  Dr. 
Haworth  seemed  to  be  reflecting ;  Col.  Ross  was  looking  sharply 
ahead  apparently,  but  with  the  corner  of  his  eye  watched  his  com 
panion's  face.  It  was,  however,  a  perfectly  calm  face  and  expressed 
nothing. 

x 

XIV. 
DR.  HAWORTH'S  IDEA. 

IT  was  in  the  midst  of  this  silence  that  Dr.  Haworth  said  in  a 
composed  voice : 

"  The  simple  question  is  who  entered  the  Mauricewood  house  on 
the  night  of  May  7,  1860,  and  put  to  death  Mr.  James  Maurice — is 
it  not?" 

"  Yes." 

"  That  is  the  precise  date  of  the  crime,  I  believe." 

"  You  are  no  doubt  correct.     It  had  escaped  my  memory." 

"  My  information  is  derived  from  Mr.  Timothy  Maurice." 

Col.  Ross  inclined  his  head,  but  made  no  reply. 

"  The  crime  of  murder  having  thus  been  committed,"  continued 
Dr.  Haworth,  "  the  interesting  point  to  be  ascertained  is  the  author 
of  the  crime.  Such  an  author  was  supposed  to  be  found.  He  was 
a  neighbor  who  had  had  an  altercation  with  the  murdered  man  a 
few  days  before — had  threatened  to  have  his  blood — and  the  weapon 
with  which  the  blow  was  struck  was  apparently  shown  to  belong  to 
him." 

"Yes." 

"  One  of  his  riding-gloves  was  also  found  near  the  spot." 

"Yes." 

"  And  he  failed  to  prove  an  alleged  alibi," 


64  £*•   HA  WORTH'S  IDEA. 

"  That  is  correct,  I  believe." 

"  Thus  the  murder  seemed  to  be  brought  home  to  him,  but  there 
was  a  serious  objection  to  the  theory  of  his  guilt.  He  was  a  gentle 
man  of  the  highest  character,  and  the  very  family  of  the  murdered 
man  refused  to  believe  that  he  could  have  committed  the  crime. 
He  protested  his  innocence,  but  was  convicted,  when  the  tragedy 
ended  in  a  manner  not  usual  in  the  case  of  hardened  criminals — the 
accused  died  of  paralysis  produced  by  despair  at  having  been  thought 
capable  of  the  commission  of  so  cowardly  a  crime." 

"  In  other  words,"  said  Colonel  Ross  coolly,  "Mr.  Ducis  was  not 
guilty,  you  think.  Concede  the  fact.  Who  was?  The  woman- 
servant  or  the  manager  ?  " 

"  There  was  little  or  nothing  to  support  such  a  view.  Women 
rarely  commit  murder,  and  the  man  was  afraid  of  his  employer." 

"  Well,  that  clears  the  way  for  your  own  theory,  no  doubt  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  the  way,  as  you  express  it,  is  clear.  Mr.  Ducis  did  not 
kill  James  Maurice  ;  the  criminals  were  neither  the  woman  Pitts  nor 
the  man  Wilkins.  Who,  then,  you  ask,  was  the  murderer  ?  I  reply 
that  I  cannot  tell  you  who  he  was,  but  I  think  I  can  tell  you  what 
he  was." 

"  Ah ! "  said  Col.  Ross,  with  an  air  of  interest. 

"  He  was  a  personal  enemy — a  cowardly  assassin  who,  fearing 
to  attack  in  open  day,  resolved  to  steal  on  his  victim  unawares  and 
put  him  to  death  under  the  shadow  of  darkness  without  risk." 

"  The  affair  was  then  what  is  called  a  secret  vengeance  ?  " 

"  Yes !  You  employ  the  exact  phrase  to  describe  it — a  secret 
vengeance.  Secret  since  it  was  committed  at  midnight;  a  ven 
geance,  not  a  mere  burglary  and  robbery  complicated  with  murder." 

"  Well,"  said  Col.  Ross  quietly,  "  who  was  this  man  in  pursuit  of 
blood,  not  money  ?  " 

"  1  have  said  that  I  do  not  know." 

"  What  was  he— that  is  to  say,  what  was  his  character  ?  You 
have  your  theory,  you  say." 

"  A  fully  developed  one.  It  was  neither  a  vulgar  robber,  nor  a 
bungling  manslayer  blinded  by  passion  or  fear.  He  was  a  man  of 
brains  and  precaution.  He  had  resolved  to  attain  his  object,  the 
death  of  his  enemy,  without  personal  risk,  without  chance  of  dis 
covery,  and  he  matured  and  executed  his  plan  in  the  most  skillful 
manner." 

"  I  am  not  sure  I  understand.." 


DR.  HA  WORTH'S  IDEA.  65 

"  I  will  endeavor  to  explain  my  meaning  clearly ;  and  as  nothing 
is  better  to  convey  one's  idea  than  a  resort  to  illustration,  I  will 
adopt  a  simple  one  to  define  my  hypothesis.  Say  that  I  or  you — I 
bring  the  matter  home  to  ourselves,  you  see — resolve  to  put  an 
enemy  out  of  the  way.  But  we  are  men  of  intelligence,  of  fore 
thought,  and  perfectly  aware  that  murder  is  a  dangerous  proceed 
ing  ;  that  a  vengeance  which  draws  down  vengeance  in  turn  on  the 
head  of  the  avenger  is  a  very  poor  business — badly  arranged,  in  a 
word." 

"Well." 

"  You  are  then  a  man  of  intelligence,  I  say,  for  you  will  allow  me 
for  the  sake  of  argument  to  suppose  that  you  were  the  real  mur 
derer  of  Mr.  James  Maurice." 

"  It  is  rather  an  unflattering  hypothesis,"  said  Col.  Ross,  with 
a  slightly  grating  laugh,  "  but  you  may  assume  it  if  you  fancy  doing 
so." 

"  Well,  then  I  assume  it.  You  have  your  motive,  which  may  be 
this  or  that.  Your  personal  cause  for  hatred  is  known  only  to  your 
self  and  is  not  a  necessary  part  of  my  theory — such  hatred  exists, 
let  us  say." 

"  Yes." 

"  You  hate  your  enemy  then,  and  resolve  to  destroy  him  as  se 
cretly,  as  silently  as  possible,  in  such  a  manner  that  no  suspicion 
should  point  to  you ;  so  that  afterwards  you  might  walk  openly  before 
all  men  with  head  erect,  enter  the  court  room  where  an  innocent 
man  was  arraigned  for  committing  the  crime  committed  by  your 
self,  listen  calmly  to  all  the  testimony,  see  the  innocent  man  con 
victed,  and  go  home  laughing  in  your  sleeve  at  the  farce  called  jus 
tice." 

"  That  is  rather  fanciful,"  said  Col.  Ross,  attempting  to  laugh. 

"  You  are  aware  that  it  is  only  a  fancy  employed  for  the  purpose 
of  illustration  ?  " 

"  True." 

"  Well,  to  proceed,  say  that  such  was  your  plan — the  path  you 
had  traced  out  for  yourself — the  path  beginning  with  a  secret  mur 
der  and  ending  in  profound  security." 

"  I  conceive  your  idea,"  said  Col.  Ross  in  a  satirical  tone,  "  but 
it  seems  to  me  rather  forced.  Why  not  waylay  your  enemy — in 
stead  of  entering  his  house  and  striking  him  in  the  midst  of  his 
household  ?  " 


66  />*.   HA  WORTH'S  IDEA. 

"  Waylay  him  ?  " 

"  In  some  hollow  of  the  woods,  let  us  say — fire  on  him  and  gallop 
away  ?  " 

"  Nothing  would  be  more  absurd.  The  body  is  found  and  an 
inquest  is  summoned ;  there  are  one,  two,  three  persons  who  are 
anxious  to  testify." 

"  They  are  unable  to  testify  to  anything,  since  they  witnessed 
nothing." 

"  They  are  able  to  testify  to  more  than  you  suppose.  One  re 
members  that  your  enemy,  whose  body  is  lying  yonder  with  a  hole 
through  it,  rode  in  the  direction  of  the  spot  where  the  murder  took 
place,  about  5  o'clock  in  the  evening.  Another  remembers  you 
about  the  same  hour  going  in  the  same  direction.  A  third  heard  a 
pistol  shot,  and  a  few  moments  afterwards  observed  you  riding  at 
full  speed  past  the  field  in  which  he  was  at  work.  Under  the  pain 
ful  circumstances  the  coroner  or  magistrate  would  regret  the  neces 
sity  of  arresting  you  on  suspicion." 

Col.  Ross  laughed  in  the  same  grating  manner. 

"Your  fancy  is  vivid,"  he  said,  "but  I  call  your  attention  to  the 
fact  that  your  highly  intelligent  criminal  would  have  his  explanation 
ready.  He  would  know  nothing  about  the  pistol  shot — for  I  sup 
pose  the  murder  would  be  committed  by  means  of  a  revolver.  He 
would  acknowledge  that  he  had  been  in  the  vicinity — he  had  been 
going  to  visit  a  friend,  say ;  but,  remembering  that  he  had  forgotten 
to  mail  an  important  letter,  had  hurried  back  to  do  so.  Any  simple 
explanation  would  serve  to  explain  everything." 

"  And  any  simple  circumstance  would  serve  to  contradict  every 
thing.  The  wisest  man  overlooks  something.  The  least  trifle 
would  convict  you.  The  prints  of  hoofs  are  found  in  the  road,  stop 
ping  at  a  certain  spot,  and  then  returning.  They  are  measured,  and 
found  to  be  those  of  your  riding-horse — so  you  turned  back  to  mail 
your  letter  at  the  very  spot  where  the  body  was  found." 

"  And  you  would  hang  me  on  the  strength  of  that ! "  said  Col. 
Ross. 

"  There  would  be  more — there  is  at  least  the  possibility.  You 
employ  a  derringer,  not  a  revolver,  and  in  loading  use  a  wad  of 
paper.  The  wad  is  carried  into  the  wound  inflicted,  extracted,  un 
rolled — it  is  the  envelope  of  a  letter  with  your  name  upon  it." 

"  Well,  then  I  see  I  am  done  for.  I  would  be  wrong,  I  acknowl 
edge,  to  waylay  my  enemy ! " 


DR.  HA  WORTH'S  IDEA.  67 

"  It  would  be  dangerous,  and  you  would  reject  the  idea.  You 
would  resort  to  something  safer  and  more  skillful  to  reach  your 
end." 

"  To  burglary  and  homicide  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  That  seems  to  me  much  more  desperate — the  risk  of  discovery 
a  thousand  times  greater." 

"  If  unskillfully  executed — but  remember  that  you  are  a  skillful 
man — a  man  of  brains,  as  I  have  said.  You  would  so  arrange  mat 
ters  that  no  one  would  ever  suspect  you." 

"  We  are  coming,  now,  I  think,  to  the  details  of  your  theory." 

"  Yes." 

"  I  confess  I  do  not  understand  precisely." 

"  I  will  explain.  You  will  resolve  to  throw  suspicion  upon  an 
other  person." 

"  Ah,  I — I  begin  to  see." 

"You  would  reconnoitre  the  house  and  ascertain  where  your 
enemy  slept — discover  that  his  bedchamber  was  on  the  ground  floor 
and  could  be  easily  entered.  Then  you  would  endeavor  to  secure 
some  weapon  belonging  to  some  one — to  be  afterwards  identified. 
Fortune  might  favor  you ;  you  might  get  possession  of  a  hammer 
of  peculiar  shape  known  to  be  the  property  of  a  particular  person. 
You  might  secrete  this  weapon  ;  steal  into  the  house  at  midnight, 
commit  the  crime.  Drop  a  glove  similar  to  that  worn  by  the  owner 
of  the  hammer,  and  erase  the  figures  in  a  warehouse  ledger  estab 
lishing  an  alibi  in  favor  of  the  innocent  man." 

"  There  was  no  erasure  !  "  exclaimed  Col.  Ross.  "  That  is  to 
say — pardon  my  interruption — there  seemed  to  be  none,  if  I  was 
rightly  informed." 

"  I  am  merely  supposing  a  case,"  said  Dr.  Haworth. 

"  And  such  is  your  theory  of  the  murder,  sir  ?  You  think  that 
Mr.  Ducis  was  innocent  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  answered  Dr.  Haworth. 

"  That  some  mysterious  unknown,  as  the  romance  writers  say, 
was  guilty  ?  " 

"  Yes — that  he  planned  the  crime,  gained  possession  of  the  deadly 
weapon,  stole  to  the  sleeping  mansion,  raised  the  window-sash  of  his 
victim's  bedchamber,  approached  the  bed  without  noise,  and  struck 
the  blow  on  his  temple,  under  which  he  started  up,  struggling  and 
groaning  in  the  death  agony ! " 


68  -DR.   HA  WORTH'S  IDEA* 

Col.  Ross  made  no  reply. 

"  Then  the  rest  duly  followed.  The  murderer  dropped  his  mur 
derous  weapon  beside  the  bed,  where  it  was  to  be  found — the  glove 
outside  as  he  escaped  through  the  window — you  could  defy  the 
keenest  detective  then  to  show  that  you  had  any  connection  with 
the  transaction." 

"  Really,  that  is  a  flattering  supposition  that  I  could  be  so  skill 
ful  !  "  said  Col.  Ross  with  the  same  harsh  laugh. 

"  If  you  were  like  some  human  beings  I  have  known  you  would 
be  proud  of  your  skill.  You  would  feel  that  you  had  outwitted 
everybody.  Your  enemy  would  be  dead ;  an  honest  man,  innocent 
of  the  offense,  would  be  convicted  in  your  stead ;  his  name  would 
be  dishonored,  his  family  overwhelmed  with  disgrace,  while  you — 
you  who  committed  the  crime — you,  the  real  murderer,  moved  about 
unsuspected,  attended  the  funeral  of  your  victim,  the  trial  of  the  ac 
cused,  saluted  the  court,  talked  with  the  constables,  heard  the  ver 
dict  and  went  home  in  triumph  !  No  one  would  dare  to  utter  a 
whisper  against  so  respectable  a  person.  You  would  remain  an  or 
nament  of  society,  people  would  take  off  their  hats  to  you,  women 
would  smile  upon  you,  you  would  appear  in  your  pew  at  church, 
you  would  drink  your  wine,  utter  your  jest,  laughing  in  your  sleeve 
as  I  have  said — you,  the  bloody  assassin,  the  murderer  of  two  human 
beings,  the  hypocrite  and  whited  sepulchre,  who  ought  to  feel  around 
your  neck  in  place  of  your  silk  cravat  the  hangman's  rope." 

Col.  Ross  rode  on,  sitting  erect  in  his  saddle,  but  a  slight  shud 
der  passed  through  his  vigorous  frame.  They  went  on  for  some 
moments  in  silence.  Then  he  said  in  a  perfectly  cool  voice : 

"  Very  well ;  that  is  rather  a  curious  theory.  You  will  allow  me 
to  compliment  you  on  your  acuteness  at  least,  Gen.  Haworth." 

Dr.  Haworth  had  turned  his  head  and  was  looking  at  him. 

"  You  regard  it  as  a  mere  theory,  then  ?  "  he  said. 

"  I  venture  to  regard  it  in  that  light.  It  is  scarcely  necessary  to 
point  out  the  objections  which  suggest  themselves  to  such  an  hy 
pothesis.  There  was  no  such  enemy  of  the  Maurices  in  the  coun 
try  that  I  have  ever  heard  of ;  and  then  the  theory,  you  will  allow 
me  to  repeat,  resembles  rather  what  we  find  in  romances  than  in 
real  life." 

"  Real  life  is  quite  as  curious  as  any  romance  I  have  ever  met 
with." 

"  Well,  that  may  be  true,  possibly,  and  I  have  at  least  been  much 


DR.  HA  WORTH'S  IDEA.  69 

interested  in  your  discussion  of  this  strange  affair.  I  am  not  suffi 
ciently  familiar  with  criminal  matters  to  form  an  opinion,  and  I  was 
absent  from  the  country  when  this  affair  took  place.  At  least,  there 
is  no  longer  any  feeling  of  distress  at  Mauricewood  in  regard  to  this 
tragic  occurrence.  It  is  happily  forgotten,  and  the  real  criminal, 
whoever  he  may  have  been,  is  no  doubt  dead.  I  am  going  to  visit 
our  friends  to-day.  I  see  we  are  in  sight  of  the  house.  Do  you 
come  in  ?  " 

"  I  shall  be  obliged  to  return." 

They  were  soon  at  the  white  gate  by  which  the  country  road 
passed.  Col.  Ross  bowed  and  entered,  while  Dr.  Haworth  rode  on 
in  the  direction  of  the  hill  country. 

He  had  no  sooner  turned  his  back  on  Col.  Ross  than  his  face, 
which  had  remained  perfectly  composed  during  their  conversation, 
assumed  an  expression  indicative  of  great  disgust. 

"  That  man  makes  me  sick,"  he  muttered.  "  Is  he  the  real 
criminal — I  never  was  so  tempted !  When  he  said :  '  There  was  no 
such  enemy  of  Mr.  Maurice  in  the  country,'  it  was  on  my  very  lips 
to  say,  '  Which  Mr.  Maurice  do  you  mean  ?  Mr.  James  Maurice, 
the  uncle,  or  Mr.  John  Maurice,  the  nephew  ? '  It  was  not  the  elder 
Maurice  who  was  struck  at,  but  Maurice  the  younger.  He  was  to 
have  slept  in  that  chamber  ;  for  days  the  bride's  presents  were  ex 
hibited  in  it  upon  the  bridal  couch.  The  change  was  only  made  on 
the  night  of  the  marriage.  Who  then  struck  at  John  Maurice  there  ? 
Was  it  or  was  it  not  the  man  who  had  fought  with  him  about  a 
woman,  and  who  hated  his  successful  rival?  He  may  not  have 
struck  the  blow  himself — may  have  been  really  absent.  Did  he 
not  suborn  others  to  do  so — the  woman  Pitts  or  the  man  Wilkins 
— and  was  not  this  the  meaning  of  his  night  visit  to  their  house  in 
the  hills,  the  suborner  of  murder  going  to  caution  the  tools  of  his 
crime?" 

Dr.  Haworth  rode  on  in  deep  thought.  His  acute  and  pene 
trating  mind  saw  here  and  there  a  flaw  in  this  apparently  flawless 
theory.  It  was  improbable  that  a  man  so  intelligent  as  Ross  would 
have  put  himself  in  the  power  of  those  degraded  creatures — con 
ceived  a  project  so  hazardous — that  he  would  not  have  preferred  to 
quarrel  with  his  enemy  on  some  pretext  and  shoot  him.  But  there 
was  the  obstinate  fact  that  he  had  ridden  by  night  to  warn  the  mur 
derers — if  they  were  the  murderers. 

A  last  subject  of  reflection  to  Dr.  Haworth  was  the  singular  fact 


70  J>R.   HA  WORTH'S  IDEA. 

that  if  Col.  Ross  had  procured  the  death  of  John  Maurice,  he  was 
now  paying  his  addresses  to  John  Maurice's  daughter ! 

"  Men  are  vile  enough  for  anything  when  they  listen  only  to  their 
passions,"  he  muttered.  "  This  one  is  of  that  sort,  and  I  have  only 
to  keep  my  hands  off  of  him  to  let  him  succeed.  Am  I  apt  to  do 
that  ?  " 

A  grim  smile  came  to  Dr.  Haworth's  lips,  and  a  latent  fire  in  his 
eyes  showed  a  powerful  organization  moved  and  strung  for  action. 

"  It  is  not  probable,"  he  muttered  harshly.  "  If  I  had  no  other 
motive  for  bringing  everything  connected  with  this  black  business 
to  light,  I  would  do  almost  anything  to  prevent  that ! " 


PART   II. 
COL.  ROSS  AND   DR.   HAWORTH. 


DR.  HAWORTH  IS  AFRAID. 

IT  was  about  the  middle  of  autumn,  and  Dr.  Haworth  and  Jean 
Baptiste  had  been,  for  some  time,  inmates  of  Mauricewood. 

Having  been  urged  anew  by  Mr.  Tim  Maurice  to  make  them  a 
visit — ostensibly  for  the  pleasure  of  his  society,  but  quite  as  much  to 
secure  an  adversary  at  chess — Dr.  Haworth  had  ended  by  accept 
ing  the  invitation,  and  had  come  with  Jean  to  take  up  his  residence 
for  a  short  time  at  the  old  manorhouse. 

For  this  he  had  his  reasons.  Among  them  was  an  incident  of  a 
rather  curious  character,  which  had  taken  place  soon  after  his  inter 
view  with  Col.  Ross. 

He  had  gone  out  hunting  one  day — or  rather  to  wander  in  the 
solitude  of  the  hill  country,  and  reflect — when  his  meditations  sud 
denly  ended. 

A  bullet  whistled  by  his  head,  and  looking  up  quickly — for  he 
had  been  seated  upon  a  ledge  of  granite  with  his  carbine  resting 
easily  upon  his  knee — he  saw  a  puff  of  smoke  rise  from  the  woods 
about  200  yards  in  front  of  him. 

Dr.  Haworth  was  a  man  of  great  promptness  and  had  an  ardent 
curiosity  to  ascertain  why  he  had  been  fired  at.  That  was  difficult, 
but  seemed  practicable.  The  spot  where  he  had  seated  himself  was 
nearly  encircled  by  laurels,  and  entering  them,  he  made  a  circuit, 
and  reached  the  point  from  which  he  had  observed  the  puff  of 
smoke  rise.  No  one  was  to  be  seen  there,  and  nodding  his  head  as 
if  the  fact  did  not  surprise  him,  Dr.  Haworth  went  straight  toward 
the  cabin  of  the  man  and  woman  Wilkins,  about  a  mile  distant. 


72  DR.   tl A  WORTH   IS  AFRAID. 

The  woman,  looking  as  slatternly  and  as  disheveled  as  ever,  was 
washing  soiled  clothes  in  an  old  discolored  tub  near  the  door  of  the 
house,  and  at  the  sound  of  the  cur  in  the  kennel  turned  around  and 
saw  the  visitor. 

"  Is  your  husband  at  home  to-day,  madam  ?  "  asked  Dr.  Ha- 
worth. 

"  He's  away  somewhere,"  she  replied  with  a  side  look. 

"  Hunting,  perhaps." 

"  I  don't  know." 

Steps  were  heard  approaching — some  twigs  cracked  under  them 
in  the  thicket. 

"  He  is  coming  back,"  said  Dr.  Haworth,  quietly. 

The  man  Wilkins  make  his  appearance  at  the  moment,  in  the 
edge  of  the  thicket,  rifle  in  hand,  and  seeing  Dr.  Haworth,  made  a 
movement  to  conceal  himself.  As  he  saw  that  this  was  impossible, 
he  came  forward  and  coolly  ducked  his  head  by  way  of  greeting  to 
the  visitor. 

"  I  see  you  have  been  hunting,"  said  Dr.  Haworth,  looking  at 
the  rifle. 

"  After  a  deer  seen  in  these  parts  lately." 

"  Did  you  get  sight  of  him  ! " 

"  I  thought  I  seen  him  in  the  bushes,  and  fired  at  him,  but  it 
were  nothing." 

"  Nothing  ?  " 

"  I  went  there  and  there  was  no  hoofprints.  I  spect  it  was  a 
trick  of  the  light.  That  ofting  happens." 

The  explanation  seemed  perfectly  satisfactory  to  Dr.  Haworth. 
Nothing  was  more  natural  than  that  a  huntsman  should  fire  upon 
what  he  supposed  to  be  the  game  he  was  hunting.  There  was  only 
one  flaw  in  Mr.  Wilkins'  statement.  He  had  not  been  near  the  spot 
where  he,  Dr.  Haworth,  had  been  seated.  On  the  contrary  it  was 
plain  that  he  had  rapidly  retired  in  the  opposite  direction. 

Any  discussion  on  the  subject  did  not  seem  necessary,  apparent 
ly,  to  the  visitor.  He  remained  a  few  moments  longer  conversing  in 
a  commonplace  way,  and  then  took  his  departure,  with  the  air  of  a 
man  who  has  no  special  object  beyond  a  ramble  with  the  view  of 
getting  a  shot  at  something.  Having  gained  the  woods,  however, 
he  went  straight  home.  Jean  Baptiste  saw  him  approaching  and 
came  to  meet  him.  when  Dr.  Haworth  stopped  and  made  a  sign. 
The  boy  hastened  toward  him  and  Dr.  Haworth  said: 


DR.  HA  WORTH  IS  AFRAID, 


73 


"  I  am  afraid  you  find  this  place  rather  lonely,  Jean." 

"  The  home  in  the  hills  here,  Excellency  ?  I  like  it  of  all 
things." 

"  It  strikes  me  as  rather  a  solitary  retreat — the  fact  is,  I  want 
society.  On  the  whole,  I  think  I  will  accept  an  invitation  I  have 
received  to  Mauricewood — Mrs.  Maurice's,  you  know,  where  I  visit 
frequently." 

"  Would  you  like  that  better,  Excellency  ?  " 

"  I  think  so." 

"  Then  I  like  it  better,"  said  Jean,  smiling.  "  Am  I  to  go,  too  ? 
I  hope  so." 

"  Certainly,  the  invitation  includes  you.  The  family  are  aware 
that  you  and  I  are  inseparable.  I  have  informed  them  that  you  are 
my  friend  and  traveling  companion." 

"  Your  Excellency  is  so  good  ! " 

"  I  see  no  proof  of  goodness  in  that.  Then  the  matter  is  ar 
ranged.  Pack  the  valise — I  will  go  to-morrow." 

"  The  horses  ?  " 

"  We  will  take  them,  of  course." 

Jean  nodded  and  walked  back  with  Dr.  Haworth,  who  retired  to 
his  chamber. 

"  Well,  all  that  is  plain  enough,"  he  said.  "  War  is  declared,  it 
seems,  and  the  first  gun  has  been  fired.  These  people  are  playing 
a  bold  game — it  is  a  proof  that  they  are  awake  to  their  danger.  Did 
my  friend,  the  Colonel,  suggest  that  deer  hunt  to  his  friend,  Job 
Wilkins  ?  It  is  possible,  but  not  probable.  I  think  it  was  a  brilliant 
conception  of  Mr.  Wilkins  himself.  Does  he  mean  to  shoot  me  to 
prevent  my  hanging  him  ?  If  so  he  has  been  concerned  in  one 
hanging  affair,  at  least ! " 

After  saying  this  Dr.  Haworth  reflected  for  about  half  an  hour 
without  moving  in  his  chair.  He  then  muttered  : 

"  Yes,  I  will  go  away  from  this  lonely  place — it  is  too  conven 
ient  and  I  am  afraid.  A  bullet  better  aimed  than  the  last  would 
leave  my  friend,  the  Colonel,  free  to  carry  out  his  programme — of 
matrimony.  I  am  an  obstacle.  I  think  he  would  like  to  remove 
me — he  or  his  friend,  Mr.  Wilkins.  There  is  no  guarding  against 
such  skillful  people  as  long  as  I  am  in  this  hill  country — if  they  hold 
the  trumps  they  will  play  them.  As  I  am  afraid,  therefore,  I  will 
move  my  quarters." 

On  the  same  afternoon  Dr.  Haworth  rode  to  Mauricewood  and 
4 


74 


DR.   HA  WORTH  IS  AFRAID. 


said  to  Mr.  Tim  Maurice,  who  met  him  with  a  hospitable  smile,  on 
the  veranda : 

"  I  have  resolved  to  accept  your  obliging  invitation,  sir,  and  make 
you  a  short  visit  with  my  young  friend  Jean." 

At  these  words  Mr.  Tim  Maurice  beamed  with  satisfaction.  He 
saw  before  him  unending  games  of  chess. 

"  Nothing  could  give  us  more  pleasure,  Doctor  ! "  he  exclaimed 
with  a  cordial  pressure  of  his  guest's  hand. 

"  Are  you  sure  it  will  not  inconvenience  you  ?  " 

"  Inconvenience  us— in  this  large  house  ?  There  are  countless 
spare  chambers." 

"  I  accept  one,  then,  with  many  thanks,  for  myself  and  Jean,  my 
young  traveling  companion.  At  home  he  is  my  private  secretary, 
with  his  seat  at  my  table  and  his  pallet  in  my  sleeping-room." 

"  He  will  be  as  welcome  as  yourself  at  Mauricewood,  Doctor. 
You  will  come  to-night  I  hope." 

"  I  shall  not  be  able  to  do  so  until  to-morrow." 

"  I  am  sorry.    To-morrow,  then,  without  fail,  remember." 

And  as  Miss  Gary  Maurice  floated  down  the  staircase  at  that 
moment  Mr.  Tim  Maurice  exclaimed : 

"  Dr.  Haworth  has  promised  to  make  us  a  visit,  Gary." 

Miss  Gary  received  this  announcement  with  polite  smiles. 

"  I  am  very  glad." 

"  And  I  am  delighted,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Tim  Maurice.  "  I  am 
certain  that  if  I  only  get  a  fair  pull  at  you  I  can  checkmate  you, 
Doctor ! " 

"  I  will  try  to  prevent  you  from  doing  so,"  said  Dr.  Haworth, 
bowing. 

After  which,  friendly  conversation  ensued  and  he  took  his  de 
parture. 

On  the  next  day  Dr.  Haworth  and  Jean  bade  good-by  to  honest 
Hunter  Wilson,  who  promised  to  send  their  traveling  valises  after 
them,  rode  to  Mauricewood,  and  were  installed  in  an  up-stairs  cham 
ber  affording  a  view  of  the  lawn  in  front.  The  chamber  was  a  model 
of  comfort  and  neatness.  Miss  Gary  Maurice  had  seen  to  it  in 
person. 


COL.  ROSS  MAKES  A   MORNING  CALL.  75 

II. 
COL.  ROSS  MAKES  A  MORNING  CALL. 

THE  days  at  Mauricewood  succeeded  and  resembled  each 
other. 

The  autumn  was  slowly  fading ;  the  yellow  leaves  floating  to  the 
green  carpet  beneath,  and  the  red  turning,  hour  by  hour,  to  a  richer 
russet.  Often  not  a  sound  disturbed  the  silence  but  the  lazy  caw  of 
a  passing  crow.  The  year  was  going,  wrapped  in  balmy  airs  and 
golden  mist. 

The  outer  world  is  unimportant,  however,  when  the  inner  is  full 
of  attractions.  Dr.  Haworth  found  Mauricewood  a  pleasant  place 
after  his  lonely  sojourn  in  the  hills.  The  family,  consisting  of  Mr. 
Tim  Maurice,  his  niece  Mrs.  Maurice,  and  Miss  Gary,  had  received 
an  addition  to  it  in  the  person  of  a  young  seamstress,  Miss  Burns, 
from  the  neighboring  town  of  Abbeyville — but  as  Miss  Burns  only 
appeared  at  meals,  with  the  rest  of  the  family,  Dr.  Haworth  saw 
very  little  of  her,  and  had  not  advanced  beyond  a  bow. 

He  was  apparently  quite  satisfied  with  the  society  of  the  two 
ladies  and  Mr.  Tim  Maurice.  He  and  Mrs.  Maurice  conversed  a 
great  deal  upon  South  America  and  other  topics,  and  the  pleased 
smile  on  the  gentle  face  indicated  that  the  lady  had  conceived  a  sin 
cere  regard  for  her  visitor.  Mr.  Tim  Maurice  was  chiefly  solicitous 
about  his  darling  hobby.  "  Well,  Doctor,  a  delightful  day,"  was 
almost  always  followed  by,  "  Shall  we  try  a  game  ?  "  and  the  game 
almost  always  took  place. 

As  to  Miss  Gary,  that  was  different.  She  and  Dr.  Haworth  did 
not  have  many  interviews — private  interviews,  that  is  to  say.  In 
some  manner  these  seemed  to  be  prevented.  When  they  were  in 
danger  of  being  left  alone  together,  Miss  Gary  always  discovered 
that  she  was  obliged  to  run  up  stairs  for  a  moment — that  household 
matters  required  her  attention — that  she  had  forgotten  something — 
she  would  soon  be  back.  But  her  engagements  had  a  mysterious 
fashion  of  prolonging  themselves,  and  preventing  her  from  returning 
to  enjoy  Dr.  Haworth's  society  until  some  other  member  of  the 
family  appeared,  when  she  returned  at  once. 

What  was  the  meaning  of  all  this  ?  Dr.  Haworth  asked  himself 
the  question,  but  gave  it  up  in  despair. 

Then,  after  a  while,  he  asked  himself  another  question — Was  he 


76  COL.   ROSS  MAKES  A   MORNING  CALL. 

going  to  fall  in  love  with  Miss  Gary  Maurice  ?  Had  he  not  done  so 
in  a  measure  already  ? 

When  he  faced  this  problem  his  face  clouded  over,  and  a  cold 
light  settled  in  his  eyes.  One  day  he  muttered : 

"  That  would  be  idiotic.  I  am  a  mere  acquaintance,  a  passing 
stranger,  with  a  glum  face  and  nearly  twice  her  age.  And  that's 
not  all.  I  have  not  come  here  to  make  love  to  a  girl.  Something 
very  different  brings  me — I  have  no  time  for  fooling." 

This  something  occupied  his  mind  at  all  hours  of  the  day.  He 
was  far  from  social.  He  took  solitary  walks  in  the  grounds  under 
the  oaks,  so  old  now  that  they  were  dying  at  the  top ;  and  whoever 
chanced  to  pass  him  could  see  that  his  brows  were  knit  together, 
his  thoughts  busy  with  some  problem.  If  Miss  Gary  Maurice  had 
made  an  impression  on  him  he  was  not  pursuing  a  judicious  method 
of  agreeably  impressing  her. 

He  was  thinking  eternally  of  Col.  Ross  and  his  probable  connec 
tion  as  principal  or  accessory  with  the  crime  at  Mauricewood.  Up  to 
a  certain  point  everything  seemed  clear,  beyond  that  point  all  was 
vague.  Was  this  smiling  gentleman  the  real  criminal  ?  It  was  im 
possible!  Human  nature  could  not  be  unfathomably  vile.  The 
man  would  never  have  been  able  to  discuss  the  affair  so  coolly ; 
would  have  shunned  coming  near  Mauricewood ;  would  have  shrunk 
from  the  very  idea  of  paying  his  addresses  to  John  Maurice's  daugh 
ter.  But  there  were  the  undeniable  facts.  He  had  warned  these 
people  to  be  on  their  guard.  He  had  quarreled  and  fought  with 
John  Maurice ;  doubtless  hating  him  for  supplanting  him  with  the 
woman  both  had  loved.  There  was  sufficient  motive,  and  once  or 
twice  in  their  conversation  Dr.  Haworth  had  heard  the  voice  of  Col. 
Ross  indicate  a  secret  apprehension. 

"  I  will  know  all  sooner  or  later,"  he  said  one  day  as  he  was  tak 
ing  one  of  his  lonely  walks.  "  I  wonder  if  that  bullet  that  grazed 
my  head  was  fired  by  his  order  ?  I  doubt  it — but  nothing  is  certain 
in  dealing  with  such  a  man.  That  is  a  trifle ;  the  main  point  is  to 
take  him  unawares  ;  to  force  him  into  a  corner  where  his  crime,  if 
he  committed  the  crime,  will  confront  him ;  to  watch  him  and  de 
cide  the  question,  in  my  own  mind  at  least.  How  am  I  to  do  that  ?  " 

He  reflected  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  walking  slowly  and  looking 
at  the  ground.  Then  he  exclaimed  : 

"  If  I  could—!  Well,  that  might  be  done  with  a  little  skill !  I 
think  it  might  be  arranged.  I'll  try,  at  least ! " 


COL.  ROSS  MAKES  A  MORNING  CALL. 


77 


One  day  Col.  Ross  drove  to  Mauricewood.  If  he  came  to  see 
Miss  Gary  Maurice,  which  was  probable,  the  fates  were  against  him. 
The  young  lady  was  suffering  from  a  severe  headache,  and,  after 
hospitably  receiving  Col.  Ross,  Mrs.  Maurice  smiled  and  returned  to 
her  daughter. 

Col.  Ross  was  evidently  very  much  disappointed — the  headache 
was  apparently  bona  fide,  and  might  confine  Miss  Cary  for  the  rest 
of  the  day.  Courtesy  required,  however,  that  he  should  not  go  away 
abruptly,  so  he  sat  conversing  in  a  friendly  manner  with  Mr.  Tim 
Maurice  and  Dr.  Haworth. 

"  I  congratulate  you,"  he  said  to  the  latter,  "  on  your  pleasant 
quarters  here.  You  must  find  them  more  cheerful  than  the  hills." 

"  A  great  deal  more  cheerful,"  replied  Dr.  Haworth.  "  I  am 
fond  of  hunting,  but  found  there  were  some  drawbacks.  There  was 
very  little  society  and  some  risk." 

"  Risk  ?  " 

"  The  danger  of  being  shot." 

Col.  Ross  looked  a  little  puzzled. 

"  Shot  by  accident,  I  mean,"  said  Dr.  Haworth.  "  That  is  not 
unusual  in  wooded  districts  where  separate  parties  or  individuals 
are  out  hunting." 

"  I  think  I  understand  your  meaning." 

"  There  is  danger  of  being  taken  for  game.  You  push  aside  the 
bushes  in  passing  through  some  thicket,  and  a  hunter  at  his  stand 
takes  you  for  a  deer  or  a  wild  turkey.  He  therefore  puts  a  bullet 
through  you,  and  when  he  rushes  forward  to  secure  his  prize,  is 
much  shocked  and  deeply  regrets  having  shot  you,  and  hopes  you 
will  pardon  his  awkwardness." 

Col.  Ross  laughed  and  said  : 

"  That's  rather  a  poor  consolation." 

"  Very  poor.  You  accept  his  apology,  of  course,  with  your  last 
breath ;  but  a  more  agreeable  state  of  things  would  be  not  to  be 
shot." 

"  Yes  ;  I  think  I  have  heard  of  such  accidents." 

Col.  Ross  uttered  the  words  so  naturally  that  Dr.  Haworth's 
doubts  were  dispelled,  or  nearly.  It  was  improbable  that  he  had 
had  anything  to  do  with  the  affair.  When  Wilkins  had  suggested 
it,  on  the  night  of  the  ride,  Col.  Ross  had  not  dissuaded  him,  but  it 
was  more  than  probable  that  Wilkins  had  acted  from  his  own  im 
pulse  to  get  rid  of  a  dangerous  adversary. 


J7g  COL.   ROSS  MAKES  A   MORNING  CALL. 

"  Well,  your  change  of  quarters  to  Mauricewood,"  said  Col.  Ross, 
"  is  defensible  on  every  ground.  It  is  safer  and  far  more  agreeable." 

"  Much  more  so.  All  is  cheerful  and  attractive  with  one  excep 
tion." 

"  One  exception  ?  " 

"  Perhaps  I  ought  not  to  have  referred  to  it,  as  the  subject  is,  no 
doubt,  painful  to  Mr.  Maurice." 

"  Oh  !  you  mean  the  locked-up  room,"  said  Mr.  Tim  Maurice. 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  It  is  a  somewhat  sorrowful  feature  of  the  house,  I  agree." 

"  I  fear  I  was  indiscreet." 

•'  Not  at  all,  Doctor." 

"  But  the  subject  has  a  morbid  attraction  for  me.  Perhaps  the 
fact  that  this  room  has  been  closed  for  twenty  years  has  made  me 
curious  to  see  it." 

"  To  see  it  ?    Would  you  care  to  see  it  ?  "  said  Mr.  Maurice. 

"  I  confess  I  should  like  to." 

"  There  is  no  objection,  whatever,  to  showing  it  to  you,  and  per 
haps  Col.  Ross  might  also  be  interested." 

Dr.  Haworth  did  not  look  at  Col.  Ross,  but  he  listened  acutely 
to  the  tones  of  his  voice  as  he  replied  : 

"  I — cannot  say  that  my  curiosity  is  quite  as  keen  as  our  friend's, 
but — I  should  be  glad  to  see  the  place." 

"  Then  I  will  go  and  get  the  key.  I  can  do  so  without  the  knowl 
edge  of  my  niece,  who  is  in  her  chamber.  It  might  sadden  her  to  be 
reminded  of  it.  I  shall  not  mind  it  myself.  I  will  be  back  in  a  mo 
ment,  gentlemen." 

Mr.  Tim  Maurice  then  went  up  the  staircase  with  his  rapid  step 
and  disappeared  in  search  of  the  key.  Dr.  Haworth  looked  in  a 
casual  and  unconcerned  manner  at  Col.  Ross,  who  was  standing 
within  a  few  feet  of  him.  Their  glances  met. 

"  So  you  are  really  interested  in  this  old  affair,  General — or  Doc 
tor,  as  you  appear  to  prefer  that  title,"  said  Col.  Ross. 

"  It  is  simpler  and  attracts  less  attention,"  said  Dr.  Haworth, 
replying  to  the  last  portion  of  the  sentence. 

"  Then,  you  do  not  wish  to  attract  attention  ?  It  is  a  somewhat 
uncommon  virtue." 

"  I  do  not.  I  have  always  preferred  passing  through  life  quietly 
—the  degito  moustrari  has  no  charms  for  me." 

"  Well,  everything  is  a  matter  of  taste.    Most  persons  prefer  as 


IN   THE  LOCKED  ROOM. 


79 


Sounding  a  title  as  possible,  especially  when  traveling.  The  hotel 
keepers  bow  lower,  and  put  you  in  better  quarters." 

It  was  obvious  that  both  men  were  best  pleased  to  converse  on 
other  subjects  than  the  locked  room.  As  Mr.  Maurice  returned  at 
this  moment  that  subject  was  resumed. 

"  I  found  the  key,  after  a  short  search,"  he  said,  "  and  have  said 
nothing  to  the  ladies  of  our  intention.  It  is  quite  unnecessary." 

He  then  inserted  the  heavy  key  into  the  brass  lock  and  pushed 
open  the  door.  It  creaked  on  its  hinges,  and  a  cloud  of  dust  fell 
from  the  upper  edge. 

"  This  is  the  room,"  said  the  old  gentleman,  entering. 

Dr.  Haworth  followed  him,  not  looking  towards  Col.  Ross,  but 
listening  to  be  certain  that  he  was  behind  him.  His  firm  tread  was 
heard  striking  the  hard  floor  in  a  measured  manner,  and  when  the 
rest  stopped  he  stopped  also. 

It  was  a  chamber  of  lofty  pitch,  with  a  shining  bare  floor,  two 
large  windows  opening  on  the  veranda  ;  a  wide  fireplace,  in  which 
some  blackened  embers  were  leaning  against  the  brass  andirons ;  a 
tall  mantelpiece  of  blue-veined  marble  surmounted  by  two  vases,  in 
which  were  some  withered  flowers ;  and  scattered  about  were  easy- 
chairs,  a  lounge,  and  other  accessories  looking  to  comfort.  Between 
the  windows  was  a  toilet-table  crowned  with  a  handsome  mirror,  in 
front  of  which  stood  a  pair  of  silver  branches  with  half  burned  wax- 
lights.  The  bedstead  was  old-fashioned,  with  heavy  curtains,  tall 
carved  posts  and  a  tester.  Beside  it  was  a  night-table.  The  cloth 
ing  on  the  bed  was  in  disorder  as  if  it  had  been  tossed  about  by  a 
sick  man  laboring  under  fever.  Nothing  had  been  set  to  rights. 
The  occupants  of  the  apartment  seemed  to  have  just  left  it — only 
every  object  was  covered  with  dust,  the  dust  of  twenty  years. 


III. 

IN  THE  LOCKED  ROOM. 

"  THIS  is  the  scene  of  the  unhappy  affair,  gentlemen,"  said  Mr. 
Tim  Maurice.  "  It  is  rather  dark.  I  will  open  one  of  the  win 
dows." 

"  Will  you  wait  a  moment,  Mr.  Maurice  !  "  said  Dr.  Haworth, 
who  was  looking  around  with  an  expression  of  deep  interest, 


go  IN  THE  LOCKED   ROOM:. 

Mr.  Tim  Maurice  turned  his  head  as  if  these  words  puzzled  him. 

"  I  really  think  this  dim  light  suits  the  place  and  the  tragedy," 
said  Dr.  Haworth.  "  It  aids  the  fancy — for  one  of  my  objects  in 
requesting  you  to  show  me  this  room  was  to  attempt  to  reconstruct 
the  scene,  if  I  may  so  say,  and  understand  the  details." 

"  I  think  I  see  your  meaning,  Doctor." 

"  The  crime  was  committed,  no  doubt,  in  darkness,  or  semi- 
obscurity.  If  we  mean  to  follow  the  movements  of  the  assassin, 
and  understand  how  he  went  to  work,  we  ought  to  subject  ourselves 
to  the  same  conditions.  Am  I  wrong  ?  "  asked  Dr.  Haworth  turn 
ing  to  Col.  Ross. 

"  I  think  you  are  perfectly  right,"  said  Col.  Ross  quietly. 

"  Then  we  may  as  well  leave  the  window  closed,  at  least  for  the 
present,  Mr.  Maurice." 

"  Certainly." 

"  Here  are  all  the  objects  then  connected  with  the  murder  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  just  as  they  were.  Nothing  has  been  touched.  There 
is  the  night-table  upon  which  my  brother  placed  the  money,  and  the 
disordered  bed  clothes.  You  may  see  the  mark  of  his  head  on  that 
pillow." 

"  Yes." 

"  The  lights  in  the  branches  yonder  on  the  toilet-table  are  half 
burned,  you  see,  just  as  they  were  put  out  when  he  retired  ;  and 
there  are  the  charred  twigs  in  the  fireplace — a  slight  blaze  had  been 
made,  as  I  remember  it  was  rather  chilly." 

"  Yes  ;  spring  evenings  often  are." 

"  Yonder  is  the  window  through  which  the  murderer  entered. 
It  was  either  open  by  accident  or  he  raised  it." 

"  He  probably  raised  it.    It  is  singular  that  he  was  not  heard." 

"  No  doubt  it  was  done  quietly  by  a  skillful  person." 

"  You  don't  mean  Mr.  Ducis  ?  " 

"  No,  indeed  ;  I  have  already  said  that  I  have  never  thought  for 
a  moment  that  Mr.  Ducis  was  really  guilty." 

"  By  simply  a  skillful  person  let  us  say  then  ;  but,  however  cau 
tious  he  may  have  been,  there  is  another  singular  fact — that  his 
steps  on  the  bare  floor  did  not  wake  the  sleepers." 

"  He  probably  walked  with  precaution." 

"  That  is  supposable,  but  then  there  was  an  additional  dan 
ger." 

"  What  was  that  ?  " 


IN  THE  LOCKED  ROOM.  gx 

"  The  danger  of  falling.  Look  at  the  floor.  It  is  as  slippery  as 
glass." 

"  The  result  of  the  old-fashioned  habit  of  scrubbing — yes." 

"  The  assassin  then  was  in  danger  of  slipping,  unless  he  was  on 
his  guard.  That  accident,  indeed,  might  have  befallen  Mr.  Maurice 
himself." 

"  My  brother  ?  " 

"Yes." 

Dr.  Haworth  took  a  step  forward,  and  suddenly  slipped,  nearly 
falling  against  the  carved  edge  of  the  tall  bed-post. 

"  You  see,  sir !  "  he  said,  regaining  his  erect  attitude.  "  An  ac 
cident  has  nearly  happened  to  me.  I  came  near  striking  my  tem 
ple  against  that  carving  there." 

"  That  might  have  been  dangerous." 

"  It  might  even  have  been  fatal.  A  sudden  blow  on  certain 
parts  of  the  head  often  results  in  death,  you  know." 

"  My  poor  brother  was  an  instance." 

"  Your  brother  ?  "  Well,  a  curious  idea  occurs  to  me,  Mr,  Mau 
rice.  Is  it  not  possible  after  all  that  no  murder  was  committed  in 
this  room  ?  " 

"  No  murder  ?  " 

"  That  the  death  of  James  Maurice  was  simply  the  result  of  acci 
dent  ?  Why  not  conclude  that  he  rose  in  the  night,  placed  his  feet 
in  his  slippers,  slipped  on  this  smooth  surface  and  fell  against  that 
post  ?  A  fatal  contusion  might  have  been  the  result." 

Mr.  Tim  Maurice  shook  his  head. 

"  I  believe  that  theory  was  broached  at  the  time,"  he  said,  "  but 
I  have  never  had  any  faith  in  it." 

"  It  is  possible." 

"  Yes ;  it  is  possible.  A  little  thing  will  sometimes  kill  a  man ; 
but  there  are  difficulties  in  the  way  of  that  explanation  which  I  have 
never  been  able  to  get  over." 

"What  are  they?" 

"  My  brother  was  found  in  his  bed." 

"  He  may  have  staggered  back  to  it." 

"  His  slippers,  I  am  sure,  were  not  on  his  feet." 

"  They  may  have  fallen  off." 

"  But  the  money — that  was  gone." 

"  True,  but  you  yourself  have  told  me  that  you  suspected  the 
housekeeper  of  stealing  it." 


82  /-V   THE   LOCKED   ROOM. 

"  I  certainly  did." 

"  But  not  of  committing  the  murder  ?  " 

"  I  don't  think  she  did." 

"  Very  well,  then,  consider  for  a  moment.  Your  brother  rises 
during  the  night,  slips  on  this  smooth  floor,  strikes  his  temple 
against  the  post,  cries  out  so  that  you  are  startled  up-stairs  and 
staggers  back  to  bed,  where  you  find  him  dying  in  a  fainting  fit — 
that  happens  to  people." 

Mr.  Tim  Maurice  shook  his  head  again. 

"  I  do  not  think  your  idea  has  any  real  foundation,  Doctor,"  he 
said. 

"And  what  is  your  opinion,  sir ?  "  said  Dr.  Haworth,  turning  to 
Col.  Ross,  who  had  been  standing  with  his  left  arm  across  his 
breast,  the  hand  supporting  his  right  elbow  and  his  chin  resting  in 
his  right  hand. 

"  My  opinion  ?  "  he  said.  "  Well,  I  think  your  idea  is  very  in 
genious." 

"  And  that  is  all  ?  " 

"  I  am  unable  to  say  how  the  affair  really  took  place,"  said  Col. 
Ross. 

"  Naturally,  sir,  but  we  are  at  liberty  to  indulge  in  conjecture. 
To  revert  then  to  the  theory  that  Mr.  James  Maurice  was  murdered. 
How  did  it  take  place  ?  " 

"  I  really  cannot  inform  you,"  said  Col.  Ross  coolly. 

"  We  are  here  on  the  spot — the  actual  scene  is  under  our  eyes ; 
there  is  the  window,  the  bed.  Let  us  fancy,  if  possible,  the  move 
ments  of  the  assassin.  Let  us  even  do  more — you  might  assist 
me?" 

"  Assist  you  ?  "  said  Col.  Ross,  looking  fixedly  at  Dr.  Haworth. 

"  Yes,  we  have  nothing  better  to  do  this  fine  morning.  As  our 
aim  in  entering  this  room  is  to  form  as  accurate  an  Idea  as  possible 
of  the  real  occurrence,  why  should  not  you  or  I  personate  the  mur 
derer,  and  go  through  all  his  probable  movements  ?  " 

Col.  Ross  made  no  reply. 

"  You  would  possibly  succeed  better  than  myself,"  said  Dr.  Ha 
worth.  "  I  am  a  bad  actor." 

"  I  have  no  more  ability  in  that  particular  than  yourself,"  said 
Col.  Ross  stiffly. 

"Your  modesty  probably  deceives  you.  I  think  Mr.  Mauric* 
will  join  in  my  request." 


IN   THE  LOCKED  ROOM.  $3 

"  I  see  nothing  unreasonable  in  it,  Doctor,  and  think  I  take  your 
idea." 

"  I  decline,  sir,"  said  Col.  Ross  coldly,  with  a  flash  of  the  eye 
which  he  seemed  unable  to  hide. 

"  Then,"  said  Dr.  Haworth,  "  I  will  take  your  place.  Is  that  the 
window,  Mr.  Maurice  ?  " 

"  Yes — it  is  bolted  inside." 

"  Will  you  be  good  enough  to  unbolt  it  ?  " 

With  which  words  Dr.  Haworth  went  out  of  the  room  and  was 
heard  walking  along  the  veranda.  Mr.  Tim  Maurice  had  mean 
while  unbolted  the  sash  and  Venetians  and  returned  to  the  side  of 
Col.  Ross.  They  stood  waiting. 

For  a  moment  there  was  a  dead  silence  in  the  room.  Then  the 
Venetians  opened  quietly,  the  sash  was  raised,  and  Dr.  Haworth  en 
tered  through  the  opening.  He  stood  for  a  moment  looking  around 
him,  fixed  his  eyes  upon  the  curtained  bed,  advanced  and  leaned 
across  it,  half  hidden  by  the  curtains. 

Any  one  glancing  at  Col.  Ross  would  have  seen  him  shudder 
slightly. 

Mr.  Tim  Maurice  was  looking  on  with  sorrowful  attention — the 
curious  pantomime  seemed  to  bring  back  vividly  all  his  gloomy  recol 
lections. 

In  the  midst  of  the  dead  silence  Dr.  Haworth  uttered  a  slight 
exclamation.  Was  he  personating  in  turn  the  victim  to  give  more 
reality  to  the  scene  ?  It  did  not  seem  so.  The  exclamation  was 
low  and  indicated  surprise.  Neither  of  the  other  occupants  of  the 
room  was  aware  of  the  fact,  as  his  back  was  turned  to  them,  but  he 
had  thrust  something,  apparently  discovered  in  the  bed,  into  his 
breast  between  his  waistcoat  and  shirt.  He  then  turned  round 
quietly. 

"  You  see,  gentlemen,"  he  said,  "  the  assassin  must  have  entered 
in  that  way  and  reached  the  bed  without  discovery.  The  curtains 
were  sufficient  to  hide  him  from  Mr.  Maurice  even  if  he  had  been 
awake." 

He  looked  from  Mr.  Tim  Maurice  to  Col.  Ross. 

"  Yes,"  the  latter  said  without  lowering  his  eyes. 

"  I  will  not  take  trouble  to  make  my  exit  in  the  character  I  have 
assumed,"  said  Dr.  Haworth,  "  and  you  may  as  well  close  the  win 
dow,  Mr.  Maurice.  I  would  make  a  request  of  Col.  Ross  if  I  was 
not  afraid  he  would  object," 


84  SOMETHING  HAPPENS. 

"  A  request,  sir?  "  said  Col.  Ross. 

"I  have  done  my  part  in  the  first  act  of  the  drama.  Is  it  too 
much  to  ask  that  Col.  Ross  will  now  permit  me  to  become  one  of 
the  audience?" 

"  One  of  the  audience  ?  " 

"  That  you  will  take  the  part  of  the  chief  actor  in  the  denoue 
ment,"  said  Dr.  Haworth  quietly.  "  That  is  to  say,  that  you  will 
advance,  strike  the  fatal  blow,  and  make  your  escape.  I  have  done 
my  part — let  us  assume  now  that  you  are  the  assassin  !" 

Col.  Ross  turned  away  muttering :  "  It  is  unpleasant — I  must 
decline,  sir,"  and  as  Mr.  Tim  Maurice  had  now  closed  the  sash  and 
Venetian  they  left  the  room,  which  was  again  securely  locked.  The 
bright  day  without  was  like  a  cordial  after  their  confinement  in  the 
gloomy  chamber,  and  Mr.  Tim  Maurice  said : 

"  Really,  Doctor,  if  I  had  known  what  a  melancholy  place  that 
was  I  think  I  would  have  sent  you  gentlemen  in  by  yourselves. 
Well,  well — you  have  seen  the  place,  at  least.  Let  us  forget  it  and — " 

Mr.  Tim  Maurice  looked  fondly  toward  his  chess-board  on  the 
center-table  of  the  drawing-room.  To  play  chess  with  Dr.  Haworth 
was,  however,  to  treat  Col.  Ross  with  scant  courtesy,  and  nothing 
followed  the  word  "and." 

The  ladies  not  reappearing,  Col.  Ross  finally  bowed  and  went 
away.  His  face  indicated  no  emotion  of  any  description. 


IV. 

SOMETHING  HAPPENS. 

WHEN  Col.  Ross  reappeared  at  Mauricewood,  which  he  did  two 
or  three  days  afterwards,  he  was  in  a  perfectly  cheerful  mood,  and 
inquired  with  an  air  of  interest  if  Miss  Gary  had  recovered  from  her 
headache. 

As  she  had  not  wholly  recovered,  but  still  felt  a  little  badly,  she 
said,  her  visitor  suggested  a  horseback  ride,  and  she  smiled  and 
assented. 

They  were  away  the  whole  afternoon,  and  when  Col.  Ross  as 
sisted  the  young  lady  to  dismount  on  her  return  he  did  so  with  an 
air  of  devotion,  which  seemed  to  indicate  a  great  deal.  It  was 
plain,  he  said,  with  deferential  courtesy,  as  they  were  all  seated  on 


SOMETHING  HAPPENS.  g$ 

the  veranda,  that  horseback  exercise  was  an  absolute  cordial  for 
Miss  Gary.  And  as  Miss  Gary  agreed,  and  said  that  she  really  felt 
like  another  person,  Col.  Ross  suggested  that  she  should  attend 
church  next  Sunday  in  that  manner — he  would  be  glad  to  escort 
her.  Miss  Gary  replied  that  she  would  accept  his  escort  with  pleas 
ure.  And  then,  after  tarrying  an  hour  longer,  Col.  Ross  rode  away 
in  the  highest  spirits. 

On  Sunday  they  rode  to  church  together,  and  afterwards  it  was 
noticed  that  they  did  not  take  the  direct  road  home.  Doubtless  this 
arose  from  the  fact  that  a  slight  detour  brought  them  to  a  hill  which 
commanded  a  very  fine  view  of  the  surrounding  country — of  the 
beautiful  champaign,  the  wooded  hill  country  and  the  faint  blue 
mountains  beyond. 

People  smiled  and  nodded  when  they  rode  away  from  the  church 
together.  The  matter  was  plain,  and  it  really  did  seem  to  be. 

When  he  went  away  that  evening  Col.  Ross  said  that  he  would 
not  forget  Miss  Gary's  request.  As  a  matter  of  fact  the  request  was 
his  own — that  she  should  amuse  herself  with  an  excellent  novel  he 
had  just  read — but  the  discrepancy  was  unimportant.  He  brought 
the  volume  two  days  afterwards,  and  when  Mr.  Tim  Maurice  hos 
pitably  invited  him  to  remain  to  dinner  faintly  objected,  acquiesced 
and  remained. 

After  dinner  Miss  Gary  Maurice  and  Col.  Ross  took  a  walk  on 
the  lawn.  Dr.  Haworth,  who  was  seated  on  the  veranda  engaged 
in  conversation  with  Mr.  Tim  Maurice,  saw  them  stroll  away  slowly 
in  the  evening  sunshine — the  erect  form  of  the  gentleman  bending 
graciously  toward  his  companion,  and  that  companion  looking  up 
with  her  head  inclining  a  little  sidewise,  her  cheeks  rosy,  her  brown 
curls  fluttering  and  her  exquisite  figure  assuming  new  attitudes  full 
of  grace  at  every  step.  Light  laughter  indicated,  it  seemed,  that  the 
Colonel  was  making  himself  agreeable.  After  a  while  they  disap 
peared  behind  the  oak  foliage. 

"  As  I  was  saying,  Doctor,  the  practice  of  plowing  in  the  winter 
has  a  thousand  advantages.  The  clods  freeze,  and  when  the  thaw 
comes  the  frost  in  them  reduces  them  to  powder,  and — but,  really, 
you  are  not  listening." 

"  Pardon  my  bad  habit  of  abstraction,"  said  Dr.  Haworth.  "  I 
follow  your  theory  and  am  convinced  it  is  sound,  sir." 

"  I  am  certain  of  it." 

And  Mr.  Maurice  flowed  on,  after  which  he  proposed  chess,   His 


86  SOMETHING  HAPPENS. 

companion  promptly  acquiesced,  and  they  were  thus  engaged  when 
Miss  Gary  Maurice  and  Col.  Ross  returned.  All  his  smiles  had 
disappeared  and  his  figure  was  as  rigid  as  a  ramrod.  As  to  the 
young  lady,  she  paused  a  moment  to  glance  at  the  chess-board  as 
she  passed,  and  then  quietly  left  the  room  and  tripped  up-stairs. 
Col.  Ross,  whose  face  was  harsh  and  gloomy,  bowed  stiffly,  re 
gretted  that  he  was  compelled  to  return  home,  and  despite  Mr.  Tim 
Maurice's  polite  remonstrance,  rode  away. 

"  Our  friend,  the  Colonel,  seems  out  of  sorts,"  said  Mr.  Maurice. 
"  Checkmate,  Doctor !  " 

The  checkmate  had  evidently  driven  Col.  Ross  and  his  expres 
sion  of  countenance  quite  out  of  Mr.  Tim  Maurice's  head. 

Dr.  Haworth  rose  and  said : 

"  I  am  a  mere  tyro.     I  ought  not  to  play." 

"  You  are  not  a  tyro,  by  any  means.  You  play  a  superb  game ! 
But  why  on  earth  did  you  check  with  your  knight  ?  The  obvious 
move  for  you — " 

But  the  obvious  move  was  never  indicated.  Miss  Cary  came 
down  stairs  with  a  celestial  smile  upon  her  lips,  and  entered  the 
drawing-room. 

"  At  chess  yet,  uncle  ?  "  she  said.  "  You  gentlemen  are  really 
incorrigible." 

"  Well,  we  thought  you  were  amusing  yourself  with  our  friend, 
the  Colonel.  Why  did  he  rush  away  so  ?  " 

Miss  Cary  quietly  declined  to  meet  Mr.  Tim  Maurice's  look. 

"  I  think  he  mentioned  that  he  had  an  engagement.  He  will 
have  a  pleasant  ride  this  delightful  evening.  Come  to  the  parlor 
and  see  the  sunset,  uncle." 

"  After  I  look  at  the  position  of  these  men  on  the  board." 

*  Oh,  no,  come  now,  you  dear  old  uncle ! " 

And  linking  her  arm  affectionately  in  that  of  Mr.  Tim  Maurice, 
Miss  Cary  said,  with  a  smile,  looking  over  her  shoulder  at  Dr.  Ha 
worth, 

"  You'll  come  too  ?  " 

"With  pleasure." 

As  Dr.  Haworth  said  this  he  looked  at  the  young  lady.  Was 
she  resolved,  by  dragging  out  her  uncle,  to  avoid  a  private  interview 
with  himself  ?  It  seemed  so. 

Col.  Ross  had  become  so  frequent  a  visitor  that  his  non-appear 
ance  now  suggested  comment. 


SOMETHING  HAPPENS.  87 

"  What's  the  matter  with  our  friend,  the  Colonel  ? "  said  Mr. 
Tim  Maurice  one  day  when  Dr.  Haworth  was  present. 

"  The  matter  ?  "  said  Miss  Gary,  with  dove-like  innocence. 

"  We  never  see  him  now.  Why  does  he  stay  away  ? — perhaps 
you  can  tell  us." 

"Indeed,  I  don't  know,"  said  Miss  Gary  without  flinching. 

"  Are  you  certain  ?  "  retorted  her  uncle  with  a  slight  movement 
of  his  eyebrows. 

"  How  should  I  know  ?  " 

"  I  thought  something  might  have  happened  to  him,"  said  Mr. 
Tim  Maurice — "  perhaps  during  that  walk  that  you  and  he  indulged 
in  on  the  lawn." 

"  What  can  you  mean  ?  Dr.  Haworth,  do  you  know  what  Uncle 
Tim  is  talking  about?  He  is  the  absurdest  person." 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  am  absurd ! "  exclaimed  Mr.  Tim  Maurice,  with 
scorching  irony.  ' 

"  You  are  dreaming,  sir." 

"  Like  other  people !  Behold,  the  dreamer  cometh — or  formerly 
came — previously  to  going  away  after  his  afternoon  promenade." 

Miss  Gary  pouted  and  looked  outraged. 

"  Dare  to  tell  me  you  have  not  refused  our  friend,  the  Colonel ! " 
exclaimed  Mr.  Tim  Maurice. 

"Refused!  How  could  I  refuse  a  person  who  never  asked 
me." 

"  Dare  to  say  he  didn't  ask  you !    His  face  told  the  story ! " 

"  Pshaw,  uncle !  you  are  too  absurd." 

"You  and  our  friend,  then,  have  not — well,  had  a  misunder 
standing  ?  " 

"  Of  course  not ! "  cried  Miss  Gary. 

"  Then,  I  suppose  we  may  indulge  the  hope  of  seeing  him  back 
very  soon  ?  " 

Miss  Gary  for  reasons  best  known  to  herself  could  not  repress  a 
covert  smile. 

"  Why  not,"  she  said,  with  an  air  of  heavenly  innocence  ;  "  you 
know  he  is  in  the  habit  of — calling  now  and  then." 

"  Yes,  I  believe  I  have  discovered  the  fact,  my  child,"  said  Mr. 
Tim  Maurice,  with  a  paternal  air.  "  Now  go  and  dress  your  doll — 
most  innocent  young  thing !  Dr.  Haworth  and  myself  propose  to 
try  a  game." 

Having  uttered  these  words  with  deep  seriousness,  Uncle  Tim 


£8  D#-   HAVfOKTIt  AND   CARY  MAURICE. 

slowly  closed  one  of  his  eyelids,  and  bursting  suddenly  into  hearty 
laughter  turned  his  back  on  Miss  Gary. 

As  Col.  Ross  did  not  reappear  at  Mauricewood  again,  Miss  Gary 
Maurice's  character  for  truth  seemed  to  have  suffered  shipwreck. 


V. 

DR.  HA  WORTH  AND  CARY  MAURICE. 

Miss  GARY  MAURICE  seemed  to  be  pursuing  a  somewhat  sin 
gular  course  toward  Dr.  Haworth.  She  would  never  be  left  alone 
with  him  if  she  could  prevent  it.  What  was  the  meaning  of  that  ? 

Men  rarely  understand  women,  who  understand  men  very  well. 
The  maxim  is  sound,  though  some  superior  beings  may  dispute  it. 

Dr.  Haworth  did  not  understand  Miss  Gary  Maurice  in  the  least. 
His  brain  was  a  vigorous  one,  but  he  was  puzzled. 

The  young  lady  was  no  longer  so  frank  and  unreserved  as  at 
first.  The  change  had  begun  on  the  ride  to  Prof.  Lesner's  that  day 
— from  the  moment  when  he  had  in  effect  told  her  that  there  was  a 
"  charm  "  about  her  which  made  people  love  her.  Was  that  simply 
the  idle  compliment  of  a  gentleman  to  a  young  lady  ?  The  mere 
words  were  little,  but  Dr.  Haworth's  look  was  a  great  deal — or  Miss 
Gary  seemed  to  think  so. 

What  followed  was  a  little  reserve.  If  that  was  the  sudden  be 
ginning,  the  ending  might  be  as  sudden  and  more  emphatic.  So  the 
young  lady  had  discovered  that  it  would  be  unreasonable  to  take  Dr. 
Haworth  out  of  his  way,  or  to  trouble  him  to  escort  her  home  when 
he  came  to  visit  them  at  Mauricewood ;  a  system  was  inaugurated 
— it  has  been  mentioned.  There  were  to  be  no  private  interviews. 
If  there  was  danger  of  that,  the  peril  was  to  b,e  evaded.  Miss  Gary 
had  forgotten  her  thimble.  "  Was  that  mamma  calling  ?  "  So  the 
private  interview  didn't  take  place. 

There  was  absolutely  nothing  to  complain  of.  Miss  Gary's  de 
meanor  toward  Dr.  Haworth  before  others  was  the  perfection  of  cor 
diality.  It  was  plain  that  she  liked  him,  if  smiles  and  tones  of  voice 
mean  anything.  What  did  it  all  signify  ?  Dr.  Haworth  saw  it,  and 
had  not  the  least  idea. 

There  really  seemed  to  be  no  grounds  for  Miss  Gary's  apprehen 
sions,  if  she  indulged  any.  Was  she  fearful  that  the  utterance  of 


DR.  HA  WORTH  AND  GARY  MAURICE.  89 

certain  words  by  Dr.  Haworth  would  terminate  or  unpleasantly 
modify  their  friendly  relations ;  that  to  have  a  certain  question  asked, 
and  to  be  compelled  to  reply  to  it  in  a  certain  manner,  would  raise  a 
barrier  of  constraint  between  them,  and  dispel  the  charm  of  the  little 
romance  ?  If  that  was  the  explanation  of  Miss  Gary's  tactics  it 
might  be  that  she  was  putting  herself  to  a  great  deal  of  unnecessary 
trouble.  Why  resort  to  all  that  strategy  of  dragging  Mr.  Tim 
Maurice  out  to  the  portico  after  Col.  Ross'  last  visit  ?  Dr.  Ha 
worth,  it  seemed,  was  capable  of  exchanging  intelligent  observations 
on  the  weather  without  directing  the  conversation  to  the  subject  of 
his  private  feelings. 

Two  or  three  times  Miss  Gary  had  found  herself  beaten — the 
victim  of  circumstance.  She  and  Dr.  Haworth  had  been  left  alone 
together.  On  these  occasions  nothing  had  occurred,  The  conver 
sation  had  been  friendly,  and  Dr.  Haworth  had  not  indulged  in 
rapturous  remarks.  He  was  quite  as  grave  as  ever,  and  spoke  easily 
and  simply.  This  had  reassured  Miss  Gary,  and  it  was  plain  that 
she  had  lost  sight  at  such  times  of  her  "  system."  He  had  been 
speaking  on  one  of  these  occasions  of  the  charm  of  home  and  home 
faces,  which  so  many  human  beings  lacked. 

"  You  say  that  very  feelingly,"  said  Miss  Gary,  crossing  her  hands 
in  her  lap  with  an  air  of  reflection,  and  looking  down. 

"  Yes,  I  feel  it.     I  have  never  had  what  people  call  a  home." 

"  I  am  so  sorry — but  gentlemen  have  friends — you  have  one  in 
your  young  Jean." 

"  Yes,  but  they  are  a  poor  substitute.  Do  your  friends  take  the 
place  of  your  home  circle,  Miss  Maurice  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no !  What  you  say  is  very  true — it  must  be  very  sad  to  be 
without  a  home.  Have  you  always  been  ?  But  that  is  impossible." 

"  Nearly  always ;  I  am  a  native  of  this  country,  and  lost  my 
mother  and  father  when  very  young.  I  went  to  South  America,  and 
since  that  time  have  been  roving — and  rovers,  you  know,  are  not 
domestic  people." 

"  But  you  liked  it." 

"  A  little  when  I  was  young.    I  am  now  weary  of  it." 

The  grave  voice  seemed  to  excite  Miss  Gary's  sympathy. 

"  But  you  have  not  always  been  roving  about — have  you  lived  in 
South  America  all  the  time  ?  " 

"  No,  I  spent  some  years  in  Europe,  and  have  visited  the  United 
States." 


QO  DR.  HA  VtOK  Tit  A.VD  CARY  MAURICE. 

"  Were  none  of  your  family  living  ? — but  you  must  forgive  me 
for  asking  you  so  many  questions." 

"  I  am  nattered  by  your  doing  so ;  it  is  an  evidence  of  friendly 
interest." 

"  I  take  a  very  sincere  interest  in  you,"  said  Miss  Gary,  raising 
her  eyes  and  looking  into  his. 

"  Thank  you — we  make  each  other  friendly  speeches,"  he  said, 
"  as  I  did  that  day  when  I  met  you  riding  to  Prof.  Lesner's." 

"  Did  you  ?  "  said  Miss  Gary,  innocently. 

"  I  think  I  told  you  that  you  were  beautiful,  and  that  everybody 
must  love  you,"  he  said.  "  It  was  a  little  unceremonious,  but  then 
it  was  sincere.  You  have  the  charm  of  friendliness  and  vivacity." 

Miss  Gary  looked  at  her  slippers,  with  her  eyelashes  resting 
nearly  upon  her  cheeks,  and  twisted  a  lace  cuff  between  her  fingers. 
Dr.  Haworth,  however,  seemed  the  farthest  possible  from  designing 
to  add  anything  more  enthusiastic. 

"  If  I  spoke  a  little  too  plainly,"  he  said,  in  a  perfectly  grave  tone, 
"  I  hope  you  will  pardon  it,  and  attribute  it  to  my  fashion  of  speak 
ing  frankly  on  all  subjects." 

"  There  is  nothing  to  pardon,"  said  Miss  Gary,  still  looking  down. 

"  I  have  seen  little  of  women,  and  scarcely  know  how  to  address 
them." 

"  What  you  apologize  for  is  said  to  be  a  very  acceptable  way," 
said  Miss  Gary,  forcing  a  laugh. 

"  It  is  honest,  at  least,  and  you  know  honesty  is  a  great  deal." 

"  Indeed,  it  is/" 

She  raised  her  eyes  and  looked  at  him.  She  had  forgotten  all 
about  systems,  and  spoke  like  the  good  country  girl  that  she  was. 

"  I  can't  bear  affectation,  and  pretense,  and  stopping  to  consider 
before  every  word ! "  she  exclaimed.  "  Why  -won't  people  be  natu 
ral!" 

"  Perhaps  the  explanation  is  that  they  are  afraid  to  appear  what 
they  really  are." 

"  You  are  not ! " 

"  I  am  not ;  you  know  very  little  about  me,  my  life,  I  mean — but 
you  shall  know.  As  to  myself— my  character — you  know  that,  if 
you  have  taken  the  trouble  to  interest  yourself  in  it.  I  am  honest  in 
my  instincts,  and  my  life  if  not  gay  has  been  respectable,  which  is  a 
good  word." 

"  A  very  good  one." 


DR.  HA  WORTH  AND  CARY  MAURICE.  91 

"  Not  a  gay  life ;  just  the  reverse,  and  that  has  perhaps  made  me 
a  little  hard." 

"  You  are  not  at  all  hard.  It  is  a  very  unfair  term  to  apply  to 
yourself." 

"  It  is  just.  I  am  not  soft  or  romantic.  You  may  not  believe 
me,  but  I  have  never  loved  any  woman.  If  I  had  children  I  should 
be  different,  I  am  sure,  and  I  wish  I  had  them.  I  am  rather  a  lonely 
person,  and  a  lonely  man  generally  becomes  hard,  but  I  do  not  com 
plain  ;  repining  is  weakness.  It  is  better  to  make  the  best  of  things." 

"  Yes,  indeed,"  said  the  young  lady,  thoughtfully  and  a  little 
sadly.  I  see  now  what  you  meant  when  you  spoke  of  home,  and 
your  longing  for  one." 

"  I  should  be  happier,"  he  said.  "  There  is  nothing  so  dreary  as 
to  sit  on  a  South  American  veranda  toward  evening— to  hear  no 
sound  but  the  cries  of  the  night-birds  from  the  mangroves,  and  have 
no  desire  even  to  go  in  and  look  at  the  new  books  and  journals  lying 
on  the  table.  The  glimmer  of  the  lamps  is  funereal — the  portraits 
stare  at  you — in  a  word,  you  are  alone — or  rather  I  am — and  it  is 
not  gay." 

"  It  is  very  sad.    You  live  near  Lima,  however  ?  " 

"  A  few  miles  from  it,  but  I  have  never  had  any  great  fancy  for 
the  society  there." 

"  But  your  books  ?  " 

"They  are  my  only  companions,  nearly.  I  receive  the  new 
works  from  London  and  Paris.  When  I  am  tired,  I  hunt  and  sleep. 
It  may  be  a  philosopher's  life — it  is  not  a  cheerful  one." 

Miss  Gary  mused.  She  was  plainly  figuring  to  herself  this  lonely 
existence  of  the  pampas,  and  it  seemed  to  touch  her.  Her  head 
drooped,  and  she  gazed  sadly  at  the  floor.  She  looked  up  at  last 
and  said,  laughing, 

"  I  think  you  ought  to  marry." 

Dr.  Haworth  shook  his  head. 

"  It  is  not  probable  that  I  shall  ever  marry,"  he  said. 

This  matter-of-fact  response  seemed  to  embolden  Miss  Gary. 

"  Why  not  ?  " 

"  I  should  not  marry  without  love,  and  I  have  never  loved  any 
woman." 

Miss  Gary  was  aware  of  a  sudden  sentiment  of  pique. 

"  You  may  ! "  she  said. 

M  It  is  impossible," 


M  DR.   HAVtOPTir  AND   CARY  MAURICE. 

y<z 

A  little  laugh  greeted  the  words. 

"  Pride  goes  before  a  fall ! " 

"  It  is  not  pride  with  me — it  is  the  result  of  another  trait" 

"  What  is  that  ?  " 

"  I  am  not  impressible." 

Miss  Gary  was  thus  openly  defied. 

"  I  see  you  are  a  woman-hater,"  she  said,  with  a  laugh,  "  and  I 
suppose  there  is  nothing  more  to  say." 

"  I  have  a  very  great  regard  and  respect  for  women— good  ones." 

"  Then  I  hope  I  may  inspire  you  with  regard  and  respect,  sir ! " 
laughed  the  young  lady. 

As  she  spoke,  a  servant  was  seen  leading  out  two  riding-horses, 
followed  by  Jean. 

"  Are  you  going  to  ride  ?  "  said  Miss  Gary. 

"  I  thought  of  doing  so  with  Jean." 

"  He  is  very  handsome,"  she  said,  looking  at  the  youth. 

"  And  a  very  good  boy." 

"  Is  he  from  South  America  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  He  is  very  refined  in  his  manners,  and  we  are  all  struck  by  his 
curious  resemblance  to  the  portrait  of  papa." 

"  Mr.  Maurice  showed  it  to  me  one  day  during  your  absence." 

"  You  must  have  observed  the  resemblance.  I  notice  it  at  every 
meal." 

"  There  is  certainly  a  resemblance,  but  you  know  that  is  not  un 
common." 

Soon  after  which  Dr.  Haworth  rode  away  with  Jean. 

Miss  Gary  remained  on  the  veranda  looking  after  them  and  mus 
ing.  Having  no  means  of  reading  the  minds  of  young  ladies  by  the 
expressions  of  their  face,  the  present  writer  is  unable  to  state  what 
this  lady  was  thinking  about.  But  after  a  while  she  rose  and  saun 
tered  slowly  into  the  house.  As  she  did  so  she  said  in  a  low  voice : 

"  Poor,  dear  fellow !  How  sorry  I  am  for  him.  He  says  I  have 
the  charm  of  friendliness  and  vivacity.  He  has  the  charm  of  re 
pose." 


THE  FAMILY  PHYSICIAN.  93 

VI. 

THE  FAMILY   PHYSICIAN. 

WHAT  Dr.  Haworth  had  discovered  in  the  bed  in  the  locked 
room  and  thrust  into  his  bosom,  was  a  twisted  cord,  with  a  stick 
thrust  through  it — in  other  words,  a.garrote. 

He  was  perfectly  familiar  with  this  primitive  Spanish  instrument 
for  the  infliction  of  capital  punishment ;  and  had  instantly,  at  the 
very  first  sight  of  it,  connected  it  with  the  murder.  An  end  of  the 
cord  had  protruded  from  between  the  bed-clothing,  the  rest  being 
concealed.  Dr.  Haworth  had  drawn  it  out,  and  by  an  instinctive 
movement  had  hidden  it  in  his  breast  under  his  waistcoat. 

As  soon  as  he  was  alone  in  his  chamber,  where  Jean  Baptiste 
was  seated  upon  a  cricket  at  a  corner  of  the  cheerful  blaze — for  the 
nights  were  growing  chill  now — Dr.  Haworth  took  the  twisted  cord 
from  his  breast  and  said  to  the  boy : 

"  Do  you  know  what  this  is,  Jean  ?  " 

"  Certainly,  Excellency  ;  it  is  a  garrote,"  was  the  reply. 

"  I  thought  you  would  recognize  it." 

"  There  is  nothing  strange  in  that.  I  have  seen  them  often,  and 
that  is  a  good  tough  one." 

Dr.  Haworth  looked  at  him  quietly  and  said : 

"  Do  you  know  you  have  not  asked  me  a  single  question  ?  " 

"  A  question  ?  " 

"  Of  a  hundred  youths  of  your  age  ninety-nine  would  have  asked 
me  where  I  found  this.  You  have  not." 

"  Your  Excellency's  business  is  your  own,  not  mine,"  said  Jean. 

"  In  other  words,  you  are  a  person  of  discretion,  Jean.  Well,  I 
give  you  a  proof  of  my  confidence  now.  I  have  told  you  about  the 
murder  that  took  place  in  this  house.  Here  is  the  instrument  with 
which  it  was  committed." 

"  With  that !    Mr.  Maurice  was  then  garroted  !  " 

"  Yes." 

Jean  said  nothing,  but  his  eyes  were  fixed  upon  Dr.  Haworth 
with  the  deepest  attention. 

"  I  will  explain  to  you  another  time  how  I  came  to  find  this,"  he 
said  ;  "  take  it  and  lock  it  up  in  the  valise." 

Jean  rose  quietly,  took  a  key  from  his  pocket  and  locked  up  the 
twisted  cord  in  the  valise. 


94  THE   FAMILY  PHYSICIAN. 

"  Now,  I  have  something  to  say  to  you,  Jean,"  said  Dr.  Ha- 
worth.  "  From  this  moment  real  war  begins  between  the  man  you 
know  and  myself,  and  you  are  a  valuable  ally." 

They  talked  in  a  low  tone  for  about  an  hour,  and  then  retired — 
Jean  Baptiste  to  his  pallet  in  the  corner  and  his  master  to  his  bed. 

On  the  next  morning  Dr.  Haworth  made  himself  agreeable  gen 
erally,  turned  over  Miss  Gary's  music,  conversed  with  Mrs.  Maurice, 
and  at  length  joined  Mr.  Tim  Maurice  on  the  portico  as  he  was 
about  to  take  his  morning  ride. 

"  A  pleasant  day,"  he  said. 

"  Really  glorious  !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Tim  Maurice,  "  and  I  feel  as 
lively  as  a  boy." 

"  Your  health  is  excellent.  I  am  happy  to  see." 

"  Excellent — owing  to  my  scorn  for  people  of  your  profession, 
Doctor ! " 

"  You  never  take  medical  advice,  then,  since  you  never  need  it." 

"Never!  Dr.  Seabright  often  denounces  me  and  predicts  I'll 
come  to  a  bad  end,  but  I  laugh  at  him." 

"  Dr.  Seabright  ?  " 

"He  is  our  old  family  physician — and  has  been  for  thirty 
years." 

Dr.  Haworth  mused  for  a  moment. 

"  Thirty  years  ?  "  he  said.  "  Then  I  suppose  he  was  your  broth 
er's  physician  ?  " 

"Certainly — we  sent  for  him  immediately  when  that  terrible 
affair  occurred." 

"  He  came,  of  course  ?  " 

"  In  half  an  hour,  as  he  only  resides  a  little  beyond  Abbeyville  ; 
but  it  was  useless,  of  course,  to  send  for  him." 

"  As  Mr.  Maurice  was  dead,  I  understand.  But  I  am  detaining 
you — a  pleasant  ride." 

"  Thank  you — amuse  yourself  with  the  ladies.  I'll  be  back  for 
a  game  before  dinner." 

But  Haworth  did  not  seem  to  have  made  his  morning  arrange 
ments  with  a  view  to  chess  or  the  society  of  the  ladies.  As  soon  as 
Mr.  Tim  Maurice  disappeared,  he  informed  them  of  his  intention  to 
ride  to  the  postoffice  at  Abbeyville,  and  his  horse  having  been 
brought,  he  mounted  and  went  in  that  direction.  He  soon  reached 
Abbeyville,  received  the  Mauricewood  mail,  and  then,  instead  of  re 
turning,  inquired  of  a  person  passing  where  Dr.  Seabright  lived 


THE  FAMILY  PHYSICIAN. 


95 


The  reply  was  a  pointed  finger.  The  house  of  the  Doctor  was  visi 
ble  about  a  mile  distant  crowning  a  hill. 

Dr.  Haworth  rode  on,  and  soon  reached  it.  It  was  a  small  and 
very  comfortable  establishment  surrounded  by  a  plank  fence  and 
hedge.  On  the  porch  was  seated  a  gray-haired  man  in  leather  leg- 
gins  reading  a  newspaper.  His  overcoat  indicated  that  he  had  just 
returned  from  riding. 

"  Dr.  Seabright,  I  believe,"  said  the  visitor,  approaching  him. 

"  At  your  service,  sir,"  said  Dr.  Seabright  in  brief  tones,  rising 
and  pointing  to  a  split-bottomed  chair  opposite  his  own.  He  had  a 
ruddy  face,  penetrating  eyes,  a  large  nose  and  a  wide  mouth.  Be 
hind  this  composed  mask  were  probably  many  family  secrets. 

"  My  name  is  Haworth,"  said  the  visitor,  sitting  down.  "  A 
member  of  your  profession,  sir." 

"  Glad  to  see  you,  Dr.  Haworth,"  said  Dr.  Seabright,  in  an  un 
impressed  manner. 

"  I  am  visiting  your  friends  at  Mauricewood,  and  thought  I 
would  call  and  pay  my  respects  to  a  brother  physician.  Mr.  Mau 
rice  spoke  of  you." 

Dr.  Seabright  looked  at  the  speaker  with  a  keen  glance  from  be 
neath  his  bushy  gray  eyebrows. 

"  Happy  to  know  you.  You  are  the  friend  from  South  America 
I  have  heard  mentioned,  I  suppose  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  You  visit  our  country  at  a  pleasant  season,  and  the  Maurice 
family  belong  to  our  best  people." 

"  They  are  most  agreeable.  You  have  known  them  a  long  time, 
no  doubt." 

"  Well,  for  forty  years  or  thereabouts,  and  that  is  quite  a  long 
time." 

"  You  were  the  family  physician  all  this  time  ?  " 

"  For  thirty  years  or  more." 

"  That  establishes  a  very  close  relation  in  our  profession,  Doc 
tor.  A  family  physician  is  necessarily  thrown  in  contact,  you  know, 
with  the  joys  and  sorrows  of  each  and  all — unhappily  it  is  the  sor 
row  he  sees  most  of." 

"  Yes ;  he  that  is  whole  needs  not  a  physician,"  said  Dr.  Sea- 
bright  with  a  grim  smile.  "  I  like  to  quote  the  Scriptures  now  and 
then  to  show  my  contempt  for  these  modern  physical  scientists,  as 
they  call  themselves,  though  all  their  science  is  tomfoolery." 


96  THE  FA  MIL  Y  PHYSJCIAtf. 

"  I  agree  with  you.  Yes,  the  distress  in  a  family  is  what  the  family 
physician  sees,  and  I  suppose  the  Mauricewood  household  has  not 
been  exempt  ?  " 

"  They  are  not  often  sick,  and  there  has  been  no  death  there  for 
a  long  time — since  John  Maurice's." 

"  The  husband  of  Mrs.  Maurice,  I  believe  ?  " 

"  Yes.    He  died  nearly  twenty  years  ago — a  curious  case." 

"  Curious  ?  " 

"  I  have  always  thought — but  these  are  private  matters." 

Dr.  Haworth  had  turned  his  head  slightly,  but  made  no  effort  to 
induce  Dr.  Seabright  to  explain  himself. 

"  You  are  very  right,  Doctor,"  he  said,  "  the  first  duty  of  a  mem 
ber  of  our  profession  is  to  keep  sacred  what  passes  in  the  sick 
chamber.  In  delirium  a  man  reveals  what  he  would  not  reveal  in 
his  right  senses.  If  his  physician  repeats  it  he  is  no  longer  a  trusted 
friend — he  is  a  spy." 

"  Right,"  said  Dr.  Seabright ;  "  Mr.  Maurice,  however,  did  not 
rave." 

"  You  were  present  I  understand  you  to  say  when  he  died.  You 
may  also  have  been  present  at  the  death  of  his  uncle,  Mr.  James 
Maurice.  I  have  been  told  of  that  sad  affair." 

"  No,  I  was  not  present,"  said  Dr.  Seabright. 

"His  death,  you  mean,  followed  the  blow  of  the  assassin  too 
promptly  ?  " 

"  Yes — I  see  Mr.  Tim  has  told  you  all  about  that  strange  business." 

"  Everything,  and  one  detail  of  the  murder  struck  me  as  remark 
able." 

"  What  was  that  ?  " 

"  The  cause  of  Mr.  Maurice's  death.  I  need  not  say  to  a  gen 
tleman  with  your  knowledge  of  physiology  that  a  blow  in  the  tem 
poral  or  parietal  region  is  often  fatal ;  but  it  is  strange  that  it  should 
have  proved  fatal  almost  instantly,  as  it  seems  to  have  done  in  Mr. 
Maurice's  case." 

"  Mr.  Maurice  was  not  killed  by  a  blow  on  his  head,"  said  Dr. 
Seabright. 

"  Indeed  ? — not  by  the  hammer  which  was  supposed  to  be  the 
weapon  used  ?  " 

"  A  hammer  had  nothing  to  do  with  it !  " 

Dr.  Seabright  uttered  the  words  with  the  abruptness  which 
marked  all  that  he  said. 


THE  FAMILY  PHYSICIAN. 


97 


"  You  surprise  me,"  said  Dr.  Haworth. 

"  I  surprised  the  court  also,  and  all  who  heard  me.  I  made  the 
post-mortem  examination  of  the  body.  There  was  no  contusion — 
but  the  asses  the  court  summoned  as  experts  said  that  external  in 
dications  were  not  always  present.  The  weapon  might  have  struck 
the  hair.  The  consequence  ?  I  was  voted  an  ignoramus  and  my 
whole  theory  a  mere  fancy." 

"  Your  theory  ?  " 

"  It  was  no  theory.     It  was  the  fact." 

"The  fact?" 

"  James  Maurice  was  strangled — probably  by  a  cord,  possibly  by 
the  hands  of  the  murderer  clutching  his  throat." 

"  Strangled !  What  were  your  grounds  for  so  singular  a  supposi 
tion  ?  " 

"  The  marks  on  his  throat,"  said  Dr.  Seabright  coolly,  "  and  they 
were  not  marks  of  hands.  I  know  it  as  well  as  I  know  that  I  am 
sitting  here  that  James  Maurice  met  his  fate  in  that  way." 

"  By  the  garrote  ?  " 

"  What  is  that  ?    Oh,  I  understand." 

"  The  cord  used  to  strangle  criminals  in  Cuba  and  South  Amer 
ica.  I  am  quite  familiar  with  it.  I  will  show  you  its  operation." 

He  looked  around  him  as  though  in  search  of  something. 

"  I  have  a  cord  in  my  pocket,"  he  said. 

Dr.  Haworth  then  drew  from  one  pocket  the  cord  which  he 
had  found  in  the  locked  room,  and  thrusting  his  hand  into  another 
pocket,  produced  the  stick  in  which  it  had  been  inserted. 

"  This  will  serve  to  show  you  the  operation  of  the  Spanish  gar- 
rote,"  he  said,  placing  the  cord  around  a  knob  of  the  railing  beside 
him  and  twisting  it  by  means  of  the  stick. 

"  Yes,"  said  Dr.  Seabright. 

"  If  the  cord  is  sufficiently  tough  not  to  break,  the  man  is  soon 
dead,  you  see." 

"  I  see.  Well,  that's  the  way  James  Maurice  came  to  his  death. 
That  cord  in  your  hand  was  plenty  strong  enough." 

Dr.  Haworth  restored  the  cord  and  stick  to  his  pocket  and  said  : 

"  Your  idea  is  curious — it  appears  remarkable  that  an  American 
should  have  committed  murder  in  that  manner.  A  Spaniard  might 
have  done  so." 

"  It  is  curious,  but  it's  so,"  said  Dr.  Seabright  concisely. 

"  You  saw  the  traces  of  the  garrote  ?  " 
5 


98 


THE  FAMILY  PHYSIC* A  ft. 


"  As  plainly  as  I  see  you." 

"  How  were  they  explained  by  the  friends  of  the  hammer  the 
ory?  " 

"  They  were  not  explained.  As  the  hammer  was  there  and  the 
expert  asses  had  their  bosh  ready  about  external  indications,  the 
marks  on  the  neck  went  for  nothing." 

"  The  difficulty  of  removing  a  preconceived  impression,  I  see. 
But — who  was  the  garroter  ?  " 

Dr.  Seabright  shook  his  head  and  said  : 

"  I  have  never  had  the  least  idea " 

"  Mr.  Ducis  ?  "  said  Dr.  Haworth. 

"  Mr.  Ducis  ?  "  said  Dr.  Seabright,  "  the  idea  is  wild !  No  sane 
person  believes  that." 

"  Who  was,  then  ? '' 

"  Dr.  Haworth,"  said  Dr.  Seabright,  solemnly,  "  you  might  as 
well  ask  that  jackass  yonder.  I  am  not  an  expert,  and  don't  know 
everything.  I  know  Mr.  Ducis  had  nothing  to  do  with  it — he  was 
one  of  the  noblest  of  gentlemen  and  the  best  friend  I  had.  The 
matter  has  puzzled  me  for  twenty  years.  If  you  will  clear  it  up  I 
will  present  you  with  the  best  case  of  instruments  to  be  bought  in 
the  City  of  London.  Come  in  and  join  me  in  a  glass  of  grog.  I 
have  been  riding  and  feel  a  little  chilled." 

Dr.  Haworth  joined  his  professional  brother  in  the  glass  of  grog, 
and  after  a  little  more  conversation  rose  to  go. 

"  I  am  surprised  at  your  theory  of  that  murder,"  he  said  as  he 
shook  hands.  "  Garroted  ?  Was  there  an  enemy  of  Mr.  Maurice 
who  had  been  to  Mexico  or  South  America — who  was  familiar,  I 
mean,  with  the  process  of  garroting  ?  " 

"  I  never  knew  of  any." 

"  No  person  in  the  neighborhood  had  resided  in  either  of  those 
countries  ?  " 

"  No  one  but  Col.  Ross,  and  the  idea  that  he  knew  anything 
about  it  never  entered  anybody's  head." 

"  Naturally,  as  Col.  Ross  is  a  gentleman  of  position  and  charac 
ter." 

"  He  was  strangled,  though  ! "  said  Dr.  Seabright,  warmed  up  by 
his  grog.  "  If  I  was  on  my  death  bed  and  past  talking,  and  any 
body  said,  '  What  was  the  cause  of  James  Maurice's  death  ? '  I 
would  try  for  a  last  mouthful  of  air  to  say,  '  He  was  strangled. — the 
expert  asses  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding.'  " 


AN  OMEN. 


99 


Dr.  Seabright  then  shook  hands,  invited  his  professional  brother 
to  repeat  his  call,  and  that  gentleman,  having  stated  that  it  would 
give  him  pleasure  to  do  so,  rode  away. 


VII. 

AN  OMEN. 

WHEN  Miss  Gary  Maurice  went  up-stairs,  after  her  interview 
with  Dr.  Haworth,  she  sat  down  by  an  open  window  and  looked  out 
at  the  yellow  trees. 

Her  expression  was  pensive  and  a  little  sad.  She  was  probably 
thinking  of  a  lonely  personage  living  in  a  lonely  hacienda,  and  pity 
ing  his  lot. 

"  Poor,  dear  fellow !  "  she  murmured  again  in  a  tone  of  celestial 
pity.  And  then  Miss  Maurice  went  through  a  curious  performance. 
She  smiled,  sighed,  got  up,  and  standing  in  front  of  the  mirror, 
which  was  a  handsome  oval,  surmounting  a  white  marble  toilet 
table,  looked  at  herself.  The  mirror  reflected  a  pretty  face  just 
tinted  with  faint  blushes,  brown  bangs  nearly  covering  the  forehead, 
big  blue  eyes  and  lips  with  a  charming  smile  just  indicated.  As 
she  looked  the  smile  became  fully  developed,  and  Miss  Gary  uttered 
a  faint  laugh.  Was  she  laughing  at  herself  ?  Her  reflections  did  not 
seem  to  concern  themselves  with  the  face  in  the  mirror.  She  said 
half  aloud : 

"  He  must  think  it  strange  that  I  avoid  him— and  certainly  it  is 
not  very  polite." 

This  reasoning  seemed  to  have  convinced  Miss  Gary,  since,  on 
Dr.  Haworth's  return,  she  was  sitting  upon  the  veranda  and  smiled 
in  a  friendly  manner  as  he  approached.  She  even  glanced  in  a  casual 
way  at  a  second  camp-chair  not  far  from  her,  and  Dr.  Haworth  sat 
down. 

He  was  a  little  surprised.  Miss  Gary  had  evidently  forgotten 
nothing  up-stairs  ;  had  no  engagement  requiring  her  presence  else 
where  ;  and  was  ready  to  indulge  in  a  friendly  t$te-a-tete. 

They  conversed  for  about  an  hour  without  interruption — Miss 
Gary  in  a  happy  and  riant  mood  which  drove  away  her  companion's 
gloom  ;  smiles  and  bright  glances  are  like  sunshine  and  light  up  all 
they  touch  upon.  Miss  Gary  Maurice  seemed  to  have  resolved  that 


IOO  AX  OMEN. 

nothing  grave  or  gloomy  should  live  in  her  presence ;  and  when  a 
girl  as  beautiful  as  herself  ever  resolves  she  is  apt  to  succeed. 

Every  trace  of  melancholy  disappeared  from  Dr.  Haworth's 
countenance.  He  had  forgotten  all  but  the  fair  face  at  his  side ; 
and  the  eyes  fixed  upon  her  own  might  have  told  her  a  great  deal  if 
she  had  needed  to  be  told  it. 

It  is  nearly  certain  that  Miss  Gary  did  not  need  to  be  told  any 
thing  about  it.  A  man's  face  is  never  full  of  "  strange  matters  "  to 
a  woman — the  matters  are  quite  familiar  and  are  read  with  the  ut 
most  ease.  Therefore  seeing  that  Miss  Gary  understood,  and  real 
ized  that  this  man  loved  her — whether  he  realized  it  or  not — her 
happy  smiles  and  caressing  tones  were  an  omen. 

If  the  only  use  of  language  is  to  convey  ideas,  and  the  business 
of  a  writer  is  to  employ  the  words  best  suited  to  express  his  mean 
ing,  it  would  be  better,  perhaps,  to  say  that  Gary  Maurice  saw  that 
she  had  inspired  love  and  meant  to  say,  when  the  moment  came, 
"  You  may  love  me  as  much  as  you  choose  ! " 

It  was  a  very  long  step  from  that  careful  avoidance  of  all  private 
interviews — but  Miss  Gary  had  taken  the  step. 

When  they  went  into  the  house  after  this  conversation  in  the 
autumn  twilight,  something  happened  in  the  most  natural  man 
ner. 

Miss  Gary's  companion  offered  his  hand  to  assist  her  in  rising 
from  her  low  seat.  She  at  once  accepted  this  polite  attention,  and 
the  two  hands  met — which  would  have  been  nothing  if  they  had  not 
remained  in  each  other.  They  did  so — apparently  they  were  both 
unconscious  of  the  fact.  Suddenly  Dr.  Haworth  made  Miss  Gary 
aware  of  the  state  of  things,  They  were  at  the  door,  and  he  im 
pulsively  raised  the  small  hand  to  his  lips. 

"  I  think  more  than  ever  now,"  he  said,  "  that  you  have  about 
you  the  something  I  spoke  of  on  our  ride  that  evening." 

Miss  Gary  turned  and  looked  up  at  him.  Her  eyes  were  full  of 
light. 

"  I  am  very  glad,"  she  said  in  a  whisper  almost,  smiling  and 
blushing  faintly.  After  which  she  went  up-stairs. 

When  she  came  down  to  tea,  Miss  Gary  was  perfectly  easy  and 
self-possessed — the  model  of  a  charming  young  person  in  the  bosom 
of  her  family.  She  had  never  been  so  gay.  Any  one  looking  at  her 
and  listening  to  her  would  have  said  that  this  young  lady  had  heard 
$ome  good  news. 


THE  RESULT  OF  AN  ACCIDENT.  ioi 

When  she  retired  for  the  night  she  made  a  low  courtesy  to  Dr. 
Haworth,  holding  her  tight  skirts  at  the  side  and  laughing. 

He  bowed  and  said ;  "  I  hope  you  will  remember  your  engage 
ment,  Miss  Maurice." 

"  Y — es,"  said  Miss  Gary. 

"  What  engagement  ?  "  asked  Uncle  Tim. 

"  Dr.  Haworth  was  good  enough  to  promise  to  escort  me  to  see 
Prof.  Lesner.  I  wish  to  borrow  a  book,"  said  Miss  Gary. 

"  Well,  take  good  care  of  the  young  thing,  Doctor,  and  come 
back  in  time  for  our  game,"  said  Uncle  Tim. 

Dr.  Haworth  scarcely  heard  the  words.  He  was  looking  at 
Gary  Maurice,  whose  exquisite  figure  was  just  disappearing  from 
the  apartment. 

As  she  left  the  room  she  turned  her  head  over  her  shoulder  and 
their  eyes  met. 

The  look  was  another  omen — a  word  signifying,  according  to 
Dr.  Johnson,  "  a  prognostic." 


VIII. 

THE  RESULT  OF  AN  ACCIDENT. 

THE  morning  was  superb — a  dying  flash  of  the  imperial  au 
tumn.  The  leaves  were  red-russet  or  as  yellow  as  gold,  the  sky  of 
gold-blue,  and  the  woods  swam  in  a  rosy  mist.  It  was  a  day  for 
the  youth  and  maiden  of  Mr.  Browning's  poem  to  take  their  "  last 
ride  together." 

Miss  Gary  Maurice  was  in  the  highest  spirits  and  looked  charm 
ing  in  her  riding-habit.  Her  brown  hair  was  in  a  coil  on  her  neck 
and  a  small  hat  was  perched  like  a  bird  on  the  summit  of  her  head. 
If  Dr.  Haworth's  heart  did  not  beat  at  sight  of  her,  and  at  the  touch 
of  her  ungloved  hand  as  he  assisted  her  to  mount,  he  must  have 
been  what  he  called  himself,  unimpressible. 

They  rode  at  a  gallop  through  the  woods,  and  Miss  Gary  retained 
her  extravagant  spirits.  Her  jests  effervesced  like  sparkling  wine 
bursting  into  bubbles.  In  a  word,  something  had  evidently  pleased 
her. 

They  reached  Prof.  Lesner's  in  half  an  hour,  and  he  came  out  in 
his  dressing-gown,  as  usual,  to  receive  them. 


102  THE  RESULT  OF  AN  ACCIDENT. 

His  smile  was  as  cordial,  and  he  displayed  unmistakable  pleasure 
at  seeing  the  young  girl,  but  Dr.  Haworth  at  once  discerned  the 
odor  of  opium  smoke  in  his  clothes.  The  dreamy  eyes  of  the  poor 
Professor  were  another  indication  that  he  had  not  abandoned  his 
evil  habit — it  was  very  sad. 

"  So  you  have  come  to  see  your  old  friend  before  he  has  returned 
your  last  visit,  Miss  Gary,"  he  said,  smiling.  "  Good  day,  Doctor, 
am  happy  to  see  you." 

Dr.  Haworth  bowed  and  shook  hands,  and  Miss  Gary  cried  : 

"  Returned  my  visit  ?  I  wish  you  would  come,  dear  Prof.  Lesner, 
but  I  shall  not  think  anything  of  it  if  you  do  not.  Your  time  is 
valuable  and  mine  is  worth  nothing.  I  came  to  beg  you  to  lend  me 
a  book." 

"A  book?  Yes,  indeed — anything  I  have,  my  dear  Miss 
Gary." 

"  I  thought  I  would  like  to  read  '  Luria '  again — he  is  so  grand 
and  kind." 

"  A  great  poem — as  you  say,  he  is  of  heroic  mold,  and  so  pro 
foundly  true." 

Prof.  Lesner  then  went  into  his  library  and  brought  out  the 
volume,  a  canary  bird  having  embraced  the  opportunity  to  perch 
upon  his  shoulder. 

"You  see  my  birds  still  pet  me — poor  recluse  that  I  am,"  he 
said,  with  his  dreamy  smile. 

"  I  think  they  show  their  sense — you  are  their  very  best  friend," 
said  Miss  Gary. 

"  Well,  we  all  need  friends — and  I  have  just  had  a  proof  that  I 
have  some  myself.  "Would  you  believe  it  these  poor  Hill  people 
have  insisted  on  electing  me  a  magistrate  ?  " 

"  A  magistrate  ?  " 

"  A  justice  of  the  peace  ! " 

And  Prof.  Lesner  uttered  a  slight  laugh. 

"It  was  actually  without  my  knowledge,"  he  said,  "and  I  am 
not  at  all  fit  for  it.  True,  I  was  a  law  student  in  early  life,  but  I 
never  practiced.  I  think  the  idea  of  these  humble  people  is  to  have 
a  good  natured  old  magistrate  who  will  let  them  off  easily." 

"  Why,  of  course  ! "  Miss  Gary  exclaimed.  "  I  am  sure  that  was 
why  you  were  elected.  So  you  are  a  justice  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  have  been  to  qualify  and  have  received  my  certificate. 
It  is  absurd,  but  the  poor  folk  seem  to  think  I  am  capable.  I  hesi- 


THE  RESULT  OF  AN  ACCIDENT. 


103 


rated  to  accept,  but  thought  I  would  not  reject  what  I  suppose  was 
meant  as  a  mark  of  friendly  feeling." 

"  I  think  you  were  perfectly  right,  sir,"  said  Dr.  Haworth. 

"  I  am  glad  you  approve,  Doctor.     But  sit  down,  Miss  Gary." 

"  Thank  you ;  we  were  only  out  riding.  I  think  mamma  will 
expect  me  back." 

And  after  a  lively  conversation,  rather  dreamy  and  fantastic  on 
the  part  of  the  poor  Professor,  they  shook  hands  with  him  and 
again  mounted. 

"  It  is  sad  to  see  such  a  person  so  lonely,"  said  Miss  Gary,  as 
they  rode  on  slowly. 

"Yes— we  spoke  the  other  day  of  lonely  lives,  I  remember. 
They  are  not  very  gay." 

"  Of  yours,  you  mean." 

Miss  Gary  rode  on  at  a  walk— her  good  spirits  seemed  to  have 
all  effervesced. 

"What  the  Preacher  says  is  true,"  said  Dr.  Haworth.  "'Two 
are  better  than  one ' — that  is  to  say,  sympathy  is  a  necessity  to  hu 
man  beings.  You  will  remember  the  text,  '  woe  to  him  that  is  alone 
when  he  falleth.' " 

Miss  Gary  smiled  rather  faintly. 

"  That  is  said  of  friends  only — is  it  not  ?  "  she  asked. 

"Yes,  but  the  truth  is  stronger  if  we  apply  it  to  a  man  and 
woman  who  love  each  other." 

"I  suppose  so,"  said  Miss  Gary,  in  a  tone  of  deep  thought. 

"  I  am  only  sorry  that  I  can  not  follow  the  advice  of  Ecclesiastes, 
in  that  sense,  and  love  some  one  who  would  comfort  me  in  my 
hours  of  depression." 

"  That  would  make  you  happier,"  said  Miss  Gary,  in  the  same 
tone,  without  looking  at  him. 

"  Unfortunately  I  do  not  hope  to  find  any  such  person.  I  am 
not  very  lovable,  and  then — " 

If  Dr.  Haworth  was  on  the  point  of  adding  that  his  own  ob 
durate  indifference  would  be  an  additional  obstacle,  he  did  not  do 
so.  His  sentence  remained  unfinished.  Miss  Gary  Maurice's  horse 
started  violently  and  began  running  at  full  speed. 

The  cause  of  this  was  simple.  The  woods  through  which  they 
were  riding  were  the  resort  of  "  wild  hogs,"  as  they  were  generally 
called — that  is,  of  hogs  which  had  escaped  from  their  owners  and 
returned  nearly  to  a  state  of  nature.  In  passing  a  copse  Miss  Gary's 


TlfE  RESULT  Of  AX  ACCIDENT. 


IO4 

horse  was  suddenly  startled  by  a  hoarse  growl,  and  one  of  these 
animals  rushed  out.  The  consequence  was  that  the  animal  shied 
violently,  ran,  and  as  Miss  Gary  had  dropped  the  bridle  on  his  neck 
she  had  no  control  over  him. 

The  result  was  a  painful  accident.  Before  Dr.  Haworth,  riding 
at  his  utmost  speed,  could  catch  up  with  her,  she  was  thrown.  Her 
saddle  girth  had  turned  and  she  fell  at  full  length  in  the  road  about 
ten  feet  in  front  of  him. 

He  threw  himself  from  the  saddle  an<i  ran  to  her  She  was 
lying  on  her  side,  quite  unconscious.  Lifting  her  in  his  arms  and 
clasping  her  close  to  him,  he  cried  : 

"  Gary  !  —  my  own  Gary  !    Good  God  !  —  she  is  not  dead  ?  " 

Her  head  fell  upon  his  shoulders,  and  she  was  a  limp  weight  in 
his  arms.  Every  trace  of  color  had  disappeared  from  her  face  and 
her  eyes  were  closed. 

With  a  passionate  sob  Dr.  Haworth  placed  his  hand  upon  her 
heart.  It  was  beating  feebly,  and  he  knew  then  that  she  had  only 
fainted  from  her  heavy  fall.  Had  she  broken  any  of  her  limbs? 
Neither  arm  was  bleeding,  and  with  the  physician's  instinct  he 
glanced  toward  her  limbs. 

"  She  will  tell  me  if  she  revives  !  "  he  said  in  a  trembling  voice  ; 
and  again  he  called  "  Gary." 

She  opened  her  eyes  and  looked  up  at  him.  Her  face  was  lying 
upon  his  breast,  and  she  drew  closer  to  him. 

"  You  are  hurt  —  badly  hurt,  Gary  !  " 

Whereupon  Dr.  Haworth,  scarce  aware  of  what  he  was  doing, 
and  forgetting  his  professional  character,  stooped  and  kissed  her 
forehead,  exclaiming  : 

"  I  never  knew  how  much  I  loved  you  !  " 

It  was  plain  that  Miss  Gary's  faint  was  at  an  end.  Her  face 
filled  with  blushes,  and  he  could  feel  her  bosom  resting  against  his 
own  rise  and  fall. 

"  I  am  not  much  hurt  !  "  she  murmured. 

"  God  be  thanked,"  he  said.  "  If  you  had  been  killed  I  should 
not  have  cared  to  live.  I  have  been  a  fool  !  I  did  not  know  !  I 
love  you  dearly—  so  dearly!  Remember  what  we  said  —  woe  to 
those  who  are  alone  when  they  fall  !  " 

"  Yes." 

That  was  all  Miss  Gary's  reply.  As  she  clasped  her  hands 
behind  his  neck,  however,  no  more  seemed  necessary. 


MAY  AND  AUGUST.  105 

Dr.  Haworth  assisted  her  to  a  fallen  tree  near  the  road,  caught 
the  horses  after  a  little  trouble,  and  lifted  her  to  the  saddle,  after 
which  they  rode  home,  nearly  in  silence.  The  accident  had  taken 
place  not  far  from  Mauricewood,  and  they  soon  arrived. 

As  Miss  Gary  dismounted,  and  walked  rather  painfully  into  the 
house,  she  said  to  Dr.  Haworth : 

."  I  will  tell  mamma." 

She  was  standing  in  the  door  and  looking  at  him  out  of  a  pair 
of  moist  blue  eyes. 

"  Will  you  tell  her  all  ?  "  he  said. 

"  Yes." 

"  That  I  love  you  and  can  not  live  without  you  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

He  bent  down  and  kissed  her,  and  she  returned  the  kiss ;  after 
which  she  went  up  stairs. 


IX. 

MAY  AND  AUGUST. 

t  THE  love  of  a  mature  man  differs  very  much  from  the  love  of  a 
youth. 

The  youth  loves  because  it  is  a  necessity  with  him — because  the 
time  has  come  to  love.  In  the  spring  the  sap  pushes,  and  the  ardor 
of  youth  requires  an  outlet — or  say  the  inner  impulse  is  like  the 
subtile  gas  in  new  wine  and  produces  an  overflow.  It  is  charming, 
but  evanescent,  as  all  momentary  impulses  are.  To  the  young  lover 
the  character  of  the  object  of  his  love  is  not  of  great  importance. 
Red  lips,  rosy  cheeks,  bright  eyes  and  curls — he  is  satisfied  if  he 
finds  these. 

It  is  not  to  laugh  at  him  to  say  that  he  is  satisfied,  since  he  sees 
much  more.  What  is  wanting  his  fancy  supplies.  The  possessor 
of  the  curls  and  roses  is  necessarily  an  angel. 

Then  the  natural  result  follows.  When  he  has  forced  upon  hfm 
the  conviction  after  a  while  that  his  angel  is  a  doll  and  not  at  all 
angelic,  he  suddenly  cools.  There  are  other  angels  or  dolls  he  sees. 
Other  roses  are  fresher,  other  eyes  brighter.  The  stronger  magnet 
draws  him — and  then  the  first  love  is  quickly  replaced  by  another, 
to  yield  in  due  time  to  numberless  numbers. 


106  MAY  AND  AUGUST. 

The  world  calls  the  youth  fickle.  He  is  not  fickle,  he  is  natural. 
What  comes  quickly,  goes  quickly.  The  youth's  heart  is  in  his 
hand  ;  he  gives  it  and  snatches  it  back.  When  he  gives  it  again,  it 
is  to  snatch  it  again,  and  transfer  it  to  a  new  angel.  Or  his  beloved 
does  the  same,  and  the  young  lover  has  the  heart-ache.  No  mat 
ter,  that  will  not  last.  The  sap  gushes,  and  the  cut  heals  over. 
The  sun  is  shining,  the  days  are  long ;  there  are  so  many  other  curls 
and  roses ! 

When  a  man  passes  30,  April  is  over,  and  the  summer  has 
come.  From  that  time  forward  he  no  longer  carries  his  heart  in 
his  hand,  begging  every  little  beauty  to  accept  it.  He  is  pleased 
with  them,  but  loves  none  of  them,  and  they  naturally  find  him  far 
less  attractive  than  the  rosy  youths  who  burst  into  raptures.  Ad 
miration,  friendly  regard,  even  affection — yes,  but  no  more.  May 
and  August  differ  nearly  as  much  as  May  and  December. 

But  August  is  settled  weather.  The  spring  showers  and  sun 
shine  rapidly  chasing  each  other  have  given  way  to  blue  skies  and 
calm.  When  a  storm  rises,  however,  it  is  a  thunder  storm.  To 
drop  figures,  the  love  of  middle  age  is  a  very  profound  senti 
ment.  It  is  not  given  easily  nor  recalled  easily,  and  when  a  man 
has  reached  this  period  of  life  without  really  loving  any  one  be 
fore,  his  passion  for  the  person  he  comes  to  love  at  last  is  ab 
sorbing. 

Dr.  Haworth  loved  Gary  Maurice  in  this  manner  now — with  all 
the  strength  of  a  strong  nature.  He  had  met  his  fate.  In  the  brief 
space  of  time  between  their  first  meeting  and  her  fall  from  horse 
back  he  had  lost  sight  of  his  past  life  and  thought  only  of  the  face 
and  voice,  the  eyes  and  lips,  of  this  "  simple  girl "  whom  he  had 
never  seen  before. 

It  is  the  old  story  which  the  story-tellens  find  their  pens  relating 
all  these  years — a  man  loving  a  woman,  and  counting  all  else  worth 
less  unless  she  loves  him  in  return. 

After  the  ride  to  Prof.  Lesner's  he  had  no  longer  any  doubt. 
Gary  Maurice  loved  him  !  It  was  the  wonder  of  wonders,  but  she 
actually  did  love  him  !  Incredible  as  it  might  appear,  she  had  not 
preferred  some  ruddy  youth,  full  of  rapture  and  romance ;  she  had 
chosen  him,  with  his  furrowed  brow,  sunburnt  cheeks  and  gravity 
— unliked  of  woman. 

What  was  to  be  the  result  ?  Would  his  whole  life  change,  and 
pass  henceforth  in  tranquil  happiness  beside  this  angel?  It  was 


MISS   BURNS.  107 

too  beautiful  a  dream  to  be  more  than  a  dream,  perhaps.  Life  had 
its  stern  work,  demanding  the  service  of  every  faculty — and  his  own 
work  was  before  him. 


X. 

MISS  BURNS. 

ON  the  morning  after  the  ride,  which  had  been  followed  by  such 
unexpected  results,  Ur.  Haworth  and  Mrs.  Maurice  remained  for 
some  time  in  private  conversation  in  the  drawing-room. 

As  Mr.  Tim  Maurice  was  absent  on  his  daily  tour  of  inspection, 
and  Miss  Gary  did  not  make  her  appearance,  they  were  not  inter 
rupted,  and  conversed  at  their  leisure. 

An  interruption  at  one  time  did  seem  to  threaten  them.  Miss 
Burns,  the  young  seamstress  from  Abbeyville,  who  had  been  for 
some  time  employed  to  assist  in  the  household  sewing,  came  down 
stairs  looking  around  her,  perhaps  for  Mrs.  Maurice  to  ask  some 
directions. 

Miss  Burns  was  a  handsome  young  person,  of  about  20, 
neatly  dressed,  with  a  fine  suit  of  black  hair  and  a  rosy  complexion. 
Her  face  was  smiling  and  her  eyes  sparkled.  She  was,  in  fact,  a 
very  flattering  specimen  of  a  class  which,  wanting  the  grace  spring 
ing  from  culture  and  refinement,  often  possess  physical  attractions. 
Beyond  this  there  was  nothing  remarkable  in  Miss  Burns'  appear 
ance  except  that  she  was  retiring  and  giggled  occasionally. 

As  she  came  quietly  down  the  staircase  now,  her  feet  made  no 
noise.  Having  reached  the  hall  she  stopped  and  listened.  The 
voices  of  Dr.  Haworth  and  Mrs.  Maurice  were  heard  in  the  draw 
ing-room,  and  Miss  Burns  went  to  the  closed  door  and  listened. 

This  was  a  little  discreditable,  but  then  curiosity  is  said  to  be  a 
feminine  failing.  She  listened  with  her  ear  at  the  keyhole  for  some 
moments,  but  seemed  to  be  disappointed.  Either  the  inmates  of 
the  apartments  were  seated  on  the  other  side  of  the  room  and 
spoke  in  low  tones,  or  the  keyhole  was  filled  with  dust — certainly 
Miss  Burns  rose  erect  with  an  expression  of  dissatisfaction. 

She  then  went  out  and  strolled  to  and  fro  on  the  veranda,  look 
ing  at  the  landscape.  The  Venetians  were  open  and  she  did  not 
approach  the  windows,  on  the  contrary  she  re-entered  quietly  and 
returned  up-stairs. 


I0g  DR.   HAVtORTffS  CURIOUS  FANCY. 

She  had  not  seen  Jean  Baptiste,  who  was  lying  under  one  of  the 
oaks  smoking  a  cigarette,  but  Jean  had  followed  all  her  movements, 
and  uttered  a  low  laugh  as  she  disappeared. 

After  a  while  Mrs.  Maurice  left  the  drawing-room  and  Miss 
Gary  came  down.  As  she  did  not  close  the  door  of  the  room  after 
her,  anybody  who  had  been  in  the  hall  at  the  time  might  have  seen 
her  go  up  to  Dr.  Haworth  and  place  her  hand  in  his. 

Some  one  nearly  observed  it.  Miss  Burns  once  more  camv; 
quietly  down  the  staircase  and  stole  on  tiptoe  toward  the  door.  It 
really  was  discreditable  ;  Miss  Burns  was  about  to  eavesdrop  ! 

Unfortunately,  if  she  were  watching  others,  some  one  was 
watching  her. 

As  the  maiden  gracefully  inclined  toward  the  door,  a  low  laugh 
attracted  her  attention,  and  suddenly  turning  she  saw  Jean  in  the 
veranda  looking  at  her. 

Thereupon  Miss  Burns  colored,  tossed  her  head,  and  abruptly 
ran  up-stairs  again.  Jean  remained  standing  on  the  veranda, 
quietly  laughing. 

XL 

DR.  HAWORTH'S  CURIOUS  FANCY. 

SOME  days  passed.  Affairs  at  Mauricewood  followed  the  ordi 
nary  routine.  Mr.  Tim  Maurice  regularly  took  his  morning  rides ; 
Mrs.  Maurice  superintended  her  household  matters,  going  about 
quietly  with  her  soft  step  and  sweet  smile ;  and  Miss  Gary,  when 
not  assisting  her,  was  apt  to  be  conversing  with  Dr.  Haworth  in  the 
drawing-room,  or  occasionally  with  Jean. 

A  great  alteration  had  taken  place  in  Dr.  Haworth.  His  grave 
face  grew,  at  times,  brilliant  with  a  smile  which  quite  transformed 
it ;  and  whenever  his  eyes  fell  upon  Gary  Maurice  their  natural 
sternness  melted  into  the  soft  splendor  which  comes  to  a  man's 
face  when  he  loves  a  woman. 

His  whole  life  had,  in  fact,  changed — his  very  being  seemed  to 
have  undergone  a  sudden  transformation.  The  collected  and  some 
what  weary  air  which  had  characterized  him  in  moments  of  repose 
had  disappeared — he  was  eager  and  hopeful.  One  could  see  that 
the  man  had  a  future  now — that  the  past  had  dropped  from  him 
like  a  worn-out  garment. 


DR.  HAWORTH'S  CURIOUS  FANCY. 


109 


The  object  of  his  visit  to  the  Mauricewood  neighborhood  was  per 
haps  not  forgotten,  but  he  had  thrust  it  aside  for  the  moment.  It  was 
tolerably  certain  that  a  man  of  his  character  would  not  thrust  it 
aside  long,  but  the  blue  eyes  of  a  girl  had  dazzled  him  for  the  time. 
He  seemed  to  ask  nothing  better  than  to  bask  in  that  light  to  which 
he  was  not  accustomed,  and  for  some  days  after  his  ride  with  Gary 
he  seemed  to  have  lost  sight  of  all  else. 

All  at  once  he  was  brought  back  to  his  work.  Something  was 
evidently  going  on  at  Mauricewood.  It  was  obvious  that  Miss 
Burns  was  -watching  him. 

Dr.  Haworth  was  a  quiet  observer  and  not  apt  to  take  up  fan 
cies.  There  was  no  doubt  at  all  about  it.  For  some  inexplicable 
reason  Miss  Burns  followed  all  his  movements  with  the  closest  at 
tention,  looking  and  listening. 

She  did  not  look  at  him,  or  appear  to  be  listening,  and  yet  he 
saw  that  she  was  doing  both.  At  table  she  ate  her  meals  modestly 
with  her  eyes  fixed  upon  her  plate.  When  she  had  finished  she 
rose  quietly,  smiled,  and  went  up-stairs  to  her  sewing.  In  the  even 
ing  when  her  work  was  done  she  took  a  walk  for  exercise,  or  re- 
turned  to  her  chamber.  Her  retiring  disposition  seemed  to  dictate 
to  her  the  propriety  of  not  intruding  on  the  family  circle,  though 
when  she  did  so  she  was  treated  with  the  utmost  kindness  and 
courtesy.  Mrs.  Maurice  and  Miss  Gary  were  much  too  well-bred  to 
make  distinctions  in  their  treatment  of  people,  but  Miss  Burns  mod 
estly  insisted  upon  keeping  her  place. 

She  did  not  speak  to  Dr.  Haworth  often.  Sometimes  it  was 
necessary,  as  when  he  would  ask  if  he  might  help  her  to  a  dish  be 
fore  him.  She  then  said  :  "  Thank  you,"  or  "  no ;  I  thank  you  sir," 
i'n  a  modest  voice,  giggling  slightly  and  scarcely  raising  her  eyes. 
When  she  did  raise  them  he  observed  that  they  were  black  and 
laughing,  and  said  to  himself  that  Mrs.  Maurice  had  a  very  hand 
some  seamstress. 

This  had  been  the  state  of  things  up  to  within  a  few  days.  Now 
Miss  Burns  seemed  to  be  growing  somewhat  less  shy.  Living  in 
the  home  with  people  naturally  banishes  ceremony,  and  human  be 
ings  become  familiarly  acquainted.  Miss  Burns  spoke  with  Dr. 
Haworth  more  frequently,  and  even  seemed  to  seek  for  occasions  to 
do  so.  She  often  met  him  accidentally  on  the  staircase  and  giggled 
in  a  friendly  manner,  looking  at  him  out  of  the  corners  of  her  eyes. 
At  such  times  she  flushed,  casting  down  her  eyelashes.  Once  she. 


110  DR.   HAWORTirS  CURIOUS  FANCY. 

met  him  as  he  was  coming  out  of  the  drawing-room,  and  the  two 
faces  nearly  struck  against  each  other,  when  Miss  Burns  blushed 
violently  and  exclaimed  : 

"  Oh,  do  excuse  me,  I  am  so  awkward  ! " 

"  I  am  sure  the  awkwardness  is  mine,  madam,"  Dr.  Haworth 
said,  bowing.  But  Miss  Burns  protested  that  the  accident  was  the 
result  of  her  own  awkwardness,  and,  looking  bashfully  at  him,  glided 
away. 

This  was  romantic — but  unfortunately  there  was  something 
mingled  with  the  romance.  As  the  hours  passed  on  Dr.  Haworth 
was  more  and  more  convinced  that  Miss  Burns  was  watching  him. 
Then  he  began  to  concentrate  his  attention  upon  her.  He  had 
seen  a  great  deal  of  human  nature,  and  knew  that  the  first  question 
was  always  the  motive.  Why  should  Miss  Bums  take  so  much  in 
terest  in  him  ?  Having  propounded  this  interrogatory  to  himself  he 
began  to  watch  her. 

She  became  an  interesting  study.  He  was  himself  the  least  se 
cretive  of  human  beings,  as  proud  people  always  are,  and  a  pro 
foundly  secretive  person  was  a  curiosity  to  him.  The  generous  and 
open-handed  man  marvels  at  the  avarice  of  the  miser,  and  Dr. 
Haworth,  who  was  straightforward  and  virile,  studied  the  secretive- 
ness  of  this  feminine  diplomat  with  interest. 

The  trait  seemed  ingrained  in  her  being ;  she  moved  about  en 
veloped  in  a  cloud.  To  speak  more  intelligibly,  she  was  evidently 
observing  with  close  attention  all  that  took  place  at  Mauricewood  ; 
was  especially  interested  in  Dr.  Haworth,  and — a  fact  which  came 
to  be  noticed — was  even  curious  to  know  what  was  going  on  in  the 
vicinity,  unless  her  long  evening  walks  were  constitutionals. 

One  morning  Miss  Burns  met  Dr.  Haworth  as  he  was  passing 
through  the  hall.  He  had  just  returned  from  riding,  and  was  going 
to  his  room  to  make  his  toilet. 

Miss  Burns  had  just  indulged  in  a  walk,  it  seemed,  for  she  had 
gathered  some  superb  dogwood  leaves  of  a  dazzling  crimson.  She 
held  them  up  as  Dr.  Haworth  passed  her,  and  said  with  a  smile : 

"  Ain't  they  just  lovely !  " 

"  They  are  really  beautiful,"  said  Dr.  Haworth,  bowing. 

"  Just  too  lovely  for  anything,"  said  Miss  Burns,  who  may  have 
found  the  phrase  in  a  paper  novel.  "  You  have  been  riding,  I  sup 
pose,  sir  ?  " 

Dr.  Haworth  bowed. 


MISS  BURNS'  MAIL-BAG.  HI 

"  How  I  wish  I  had  an  escort — I  am  so  fond  of  riding  ?  "  And 
Miss  Burns  giggled. 

Dr.  Haworth  looked  at  her.  Was  she  proposing  that  he  should 
become  her  escort  ?  It  seemed  so,  since  she  added  : 

"  I  only  ride  once  a  week — to  town ;  and  then  it  is  just  too 
lonely." 

When  Miss  Burns  said  this  she  looked  at  Dr.  Haworth  in  a 
languishing  manner. 

"  I  am  going  to-morrow,"  she  said,  casting  down  her  eyes,  pick 
ing  at  the  red  leaves.  Then  she  suddenly  looked  up  at  him. 

Dr.  Haworth  understood  now,  and  expressed  himself  in  a 
straightforward  manner. 

"  I  regret  that  it  is  out  of  my  power  to  offer  you  my  escort,  Miss 
Burns,"  he  said.  "  I  have  an  engagement  to-morrow." 

"  An  engagement  ?  "  sighed  Miss  Burns. 

"  To  ride  with  Miss  Maurice." 

.Miss  Burns  looked  sudden  daggers,  but  before  she  could  reply 
Miss  Gary  Maurice  came  down  stairs,  and  Miss  Burns  went  up, 
passing  her.  Gary's  face  was  full  of  smiles  and  happiness ;  that  of 
Miss  Burns  had  suddenly  become  overcast.  At  the  landing  she 
stopped  and  listened,  looking  through  the  railing. 

"  I  came  down  to  get  a  book,"  said  Miss  Gary.  "  I  suppose  your 
lordship  is  too  tired  to  help  me  to  look  for  it." 

Dr.  Haworth  did  not  reply,  but  his  action  was  expressive.  He 
took  both  Miss  Gary's  hands  in  his  own,  drew  her  to  him,  and 
pressed  his  lips  to  her  forehead. 

It  was  not  much,  but  Miss  Burns,  witnessing  the  performance, 
shut  her  lips  tightly  together  and  looked  furious.  When  Miss  Gary 
and  her  companion  disappeared,  hand  in  hand,  in  the  drawing-room, 
Miss  Burns  knit  her  handsome  brows  and  went  to  her  chamber. 


XII. 
MISS  BURNS'  MAIL-BAG. 

THE  ride  with  Miss  Gary  was  not  a  thing  invented  by  the  enemy 
— if  Dr.  Haworth  were  Miss  Burns'  enemy — but  an  actual  engage 
ment. 

Miss  Gary  Maurice  was  very  popular,  and  liked  to  visit  het 


112  MISS  BURNS'  MAIL- BAG. 

friends.  Her  mother  could  not  always  go,  and  it  was  stupid  to  go 
alone  in  the  family  carriage.  She  was  much  fonder  of  horseback 
riding,  but  to  ride  alone  was  not  precisely  regular ;  so  she  hailed  the 
possession  of  an  escort.  As  he  was  the  escort  whom  she  preferred 
to  all  others  that  was  all  the  better.  So  they  rode  away  together. 

They  returned  in  the  afternoon,  and  toward  sunset  Dr.  Haworth 
lit  a  cigar — he  smoked  sometimes — and  walked  down  the  hill  toward 
the  gate  opening  into  the  grounds. 

He  was  about  a  hundred  yards  from  the  house  when  Jean  Bap- 
tiste  joined  him,  and  they  walked  on  together  until  the  foliage  con 
cealed  them  from  view. 

"  We  are  out  of  sight  now,"  said  Jean,  "  and  I  should  like  to  have 
a  few  words  with  your  excellency." 

"Out  of  sight?"  said  Dr.  Haworth  quietly.  "Then  you  think 
that  some  one  is  watching  us  ?  " 

"  I  think  it  not  improbable — as  they  can't  listen  at  this  distance." 

"  Listen  ? — a  few  words  with  me  do  you  say,  Jean  ?  Why  not 
say  what  you  wish  to  say  in  our  chamber?  " 

"  There  are  too  many  ears  about." 

"  Ears  ?  " 

"There  are  more  ears  in  the  Mauricewood  house  than  you 
think." 

Dr.  Haworth  shook  his  head  and  replied : 

"  I  am  afraid  association  with  me  has  had  an  evil  effect  upon 
your  character,  Jean.  You  are  growing  suspicious  of  everybody  and 
everything." 

"  That  would  be  bad,"  said  Jean  laughing,  "  but  if  one  has  eyes 
and  ears,  he  can't  help  seeing  and  hearing." 

"  What  have  you  seen  and  heard  ?  " 

"  I  will  tell  you  if  you  will  go  a  little  way — that  is,  I  will  show 
you." 

"  A  little  way  ?  " 

"  As  far  as  the  big  ash  tree  at  the  corner  of  the  grounds,  toward 
the  town — yonder  it  is." 

They  had  passed  through  the  carriage  gate  and  were  in  the 
woods,  following  a  path  which  led  in  the  direction  of  Abbeyville. 
About  three  hundred  yards  in  front  rose  the  bushy  summit  of  a  tall 
ash — it  was  a  landmark. 

"  We  will  be  there  in  a  minute,  and  I  will  then  tell  you  what  I 
mean,"  said  Jean. 


MISS  BURNS'  MAIL-BAG.  1 13 

"  Very  well ;  take  your  time,  my  dear  Jean.  Would  you  like  to 
smoke  ?  " 

"  Oh !  I  was  dying  for  it,"  exclaimed  Jean  with  a  boyish  laugh. 
"  Your  excellency  knows  I  am  half-Spaniard." 

"  I  don't  know  anything  of  the  sort !  "  said  Dr.  Haworth  looking 
at  him  with  a  curious  smile.  "  Why,  smoke,  of  course  !  Here  is  a 
cigar." 

But  Jean  had  already  fashioned  his  husk  cigarette  with  the  ra 
pidity  of  a  Spaniard.  Dr.  Haworth  presented  his  cigar  tip,  and  Jean 
began  smoking  with  evident  delight. 

"  Here  is  the  tree,  excellency,"  he  said. 

It  was  a  very  large  one  growing  from  a  rude  pile  of  rock,  and 
the  huge  roots  twisting  to  and  fro  had  thrust  themselves  between 
the  crevices  and  burst  the  ledges.  Under  these  were  dusky  hollows 
— the  probable  resort  of  rabbits  and  such  game. 

"  What  is  there  so  very  interesting  about  this  tree,  Jean  ?  "  said 
Dr.  Haworth. 

"  It  is  Miss  Burns'  postoffice,"  said  Jean,  laughing  quietly. 

"  Miss  Burns'  postoffice !    What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"It  is  more  convenient  than  the  town.  She  puts  her  letters 
under  that  big  root." 

"  Miss  Burns — her  letters  ?  " 

"  For  your  friend  Col.  Ross,  or  somebody  who  takes  them  to 
him." 

"  Col.  Ross ! " 

"  I  am  very  much  mistaken  if  Miss  Bunas  is  not  a  friend  of  the 
Colonel's,  Excellency.  It  is  the  only  way  I  can  explain  her  watching 
you  and  leaving — well,  her  reports  here." 

Dr.  Haworth  seemed  greatly  impressed  and  said : 

"  Are  you  sure  this  is  not  a  mere  fancy  ?  " 

"  Well,  it  may  be — you  will  judge.  I  can  only  say  what  I  think 
is  the  fact.  My  idea  is  this,  that  your  friend  the  Colonel  has  a  great 
deal  of  curiosity,  and  wanted  to  know  what  was  going  on  at  the 
house  yonder ;  so  he  persuaded  this  pretty  Miss  Burns  to  keep  him 
informed." 

"  What  reason  have  you  to  think  so  ?  " 

"  Well,  several  reasons.  Miss  Burns  came  into  your  room  last 
night." 

"  Into  my  chamber  ?  " 

Jean  nodded, 


H4  AfISS  BURNS'  MAIL- BAG. 

"  I  happened  to  be  awake,  which  is  very  seldom,  as  a  youngster 
is  apt  to  sleep  sound,  and  I  saw  her." 

"  Saw  her  ?  " 

"  With  my  eyes.  She  opened  the  door — it  may  have  been  nearly 
2  in  the  morning— and  came  in  as  quietly  as  a  ghost,  or  rather  a  girl 
in  her  stocking  feet.  She  walked  without  the  least  sound,  and 
looked  all  about  her,  particularly  toward  your  traveling  valise. " 

"  My  valise  ?  " 

"  She  did  better  than  look  ;  she  tried  to  open  it,  but  it  was  locked. 
You  see  I  always  carry  the  key  in  my  waistcoat  pocket  and  sleep 
with  it  under  my  head." 

"  Tried  to  open  my  valise,  did  you  say  ?  " 

"  Yes,  but  she  found  it  would  not  open.  She  then  searched  your 
clothes  and  mine,  too,  for  the  key  and  any  papers.  I  suppose  she 
was  looking  for  papers." 

"  Papers  ?  " 

"  Your  Excellency  seems  to  forget  that  a  certain  gentleman  is 
anxious  to  know  all  about  you.  You  are  here  for  something,  he 
thinks — something  that  interests  him.  If  he  has  not  found  out 
what  brings  you,  and  would  like  to  know,  I  suppose  he  would  like 
to  see  your  letters  or  other  papers." 

"  You  are  no  doubt  right,"  said  Dr.  Haworth  thoughtfully,  "  and 
I  was  not  wrong  in  saying  that  you  would  be  an  intelligent  ally, 
Jean." 

"  I  mean  to  do  what  I  can  to  pay  you  what  I  owe  you." 

"You  owe  me  nothing." 

"  I  owe  you  my  life !  Your  Excellency  knows  that.  To  come 
to  business,  what  I  tell  you  is  certain.  This  girl  has  an  understand 
ing  with  Cdl.  Ross — I  am  sure  of  it." 

"  Did  he  place  her  here  for  the  purpose  ?  " 

"  I  don't  think  he  did.  She  was  here  before  he  thought  of  it,  I 
think.  Up  to  the  time  when  Miss  Gary  sent  him  off  he  could  see 
for  himself,  now  he  uses  this  girl's  eyes — to  find  out  what  is  going 
on  between  you  and  Miss  Gary — and  what  you  are  after,  too." 

Dr.  Haworth  reflected  for  a  moment  and  then  said : 

"  Well,  that  is  really  ingenious.  If  you  are  right,  our  friend  is  a 
dangerous  man." 

"  He  learned  to  work  in  the  dark  down  yonder,"  said  Jean,  suc 
cinctly,  pointing  in  the  direction  of  South  America.  "  He  sent  that 
torpedo  boat  to  blow  you  up." 


MISS  BURNS'  MAIL-BAG.  115 

•'Well — that  is  probable.  So  he  has  his  confidential  agent  here, 
aas  he  ?  How  could  he  arrange  that  ?  " 

"  Nothing  was  easier.  Miss  Burns  rides  on  horseback  once  a 
iveek  to  the  town  to  see  her  people.  Our  friend  the  Colonel  could 
nanage  the  rest — it  is  only  a  question  of  so  much  money." 

"  Yes — but  does  she  really  communicate  with  him  ?  " 

"This  is  her  postoffice,  as  I  told  you,"  said  Jean  laughing,  "and 
hat  hollow  under  the  root  there  is  the  mail-bag.  I  saw  her  come 
icre  and  pull  out  a  paper." 

"  But  her  own  information — ?  " 

"  She  had  forwarded  it,  I  suppose,  already.  There  is  some  one 
who  comes  at  night,  I  think,  and  gets  the  girl's  letters.  If  he  has 
my  directions  for  her  he  leaves  them — and  she  comes  and  gets  them. 
That  is  the  way.  I  saw  her." 

"  Well,  that  seems  to  end  all  doubt.  Col.  Ross  is  playing  a  deep 
jame." 

"  Deep  ?  "  said  Jean,  "  well  that  just  describes  the  Colonel.  There 
is  no  danger  of  his  being  known  in  the  affair,  and  what  his  agent 
writes  to  Miss  Burns,  or  she  to  him,  is  not  apt  to  entangle  Aim. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  this  girl  is  employed  to  watch  you — and  now, 
as  some  one  might  pass  and  notice  us,  I  suppose  your  Excellency 
had  better  go  back.  I  will  follow  afterward." 

"That  is  a  wise  precaution,  Jean,"  said  Dr.  Haworth  without 
moving,  "  but  before  I  go  I  might  as  well  say  that  I  knew  all  this 
before." 

"  Your  Excellency  knew  ?  " 

"  I  didn't  know  of  this  postoffice  as  you  call  it — the  rest  is  no 
news  to  me." 

"  You  have  noticed  her  watching  you  ?  " 

"  Certainly." 

"  Listening,  and  tripping  about  and  putting  her  ear  to  the  key 
holes  ?  " 

"  I  have  not  seen  her  do  so,  but  have  no  doubt  that  she  does 
that." 

"  And  you  knew — !  " 

"That  she  came  into  the  room  last  night?  Yes,  I  was  not 
asleep." 

Jean  drew  a  long  breath. 

"  Really,  your  Excellency  does  not  need  my  help,"  he  said  with 
an  air  of  disappointment. 


MISS  BURNS'  MAIL-BAG. 

"  On  the  contrary  it  is  of  the  very  greatest  service  to  me — I  re 
quire  it.  Listen  a  moment." 

Dr.  Haworth  had  remained  composed  during  the  whole  conversa 
tion.  His  face  now  filled  with  blood  and  he  said  in  the  brief,  abrupt 
voice  which  always  betrayed  a  great  deal  with  him  : 

"  It  is  useless  to  try  to  hide  anything.  It  is  open  war  between 
this  man  and  myself.  He  either  assassinated  James  Maurice  or  pro 
cured  his  assassination.  I  have  come  to  this  country  to  ferret  out 
all  that,  and  mean  to  do  so  if  I  am  not  murdered  in  my  turn.  That 
attempt  has  been  made.  It  will  probably  be  made  again.  Some 
day  when  I  am  riding  through  the  woods  a  bullet  may  put  an  end 
to  me — or  when  I  am  leaning  from  my  chamber  window  at  night.  I 
may  drink  a  glass  of  water,  or  wine,  flavored  with  a  peculiar  powder. 
Who  knows  ?  This  handsome  Miss  Burns  may  have  the  powder 
in  her  pocket  at  the  present  moment.  She  is  placed  here  to  watch 
me — you  are  right  about  that — therefore  I  am  dangerous.  When 
men  are  dangerous  to  certain  people  they  try  to  suppress  them  ;  and 
I  think  Col.  Ross  would  like  to  suppress  me.  Well,  I  come  back  to 
what  I  began  with.  It  is  open  war — or  rather  secret.  As  he  pre 
fers  that,  it  suits  me  too,  War  is  not  rose  water — it  is  a  question 
of  blood.  Ruse  is  fair  against  ruse.  As  this  girl  is  put  here  to 
watch  me,  I  will  watch  her.  As  she  crept  into  my  room  to  carry 
away  my  papers,  I  will  carry  away  her  own,  or  you  will  for  me." 

"I  won't  fail  to  do  that,  Excellency!"  exclaimed  Jean,  with 
ardor. 

"  It  is  of  little  importance — a  small  feature  of  the  real  struggle. 
Since  yesterday  I  have  made  up  my  mind." 

"  Made  up  your  mind  ?  " 

"  To  strike ! "  said  Dr.  Haworth  briefly.  "  Up  to  this  time  I 
have  been  collecting  information.  The  whole  affair  I  came  to  in 
vestigate  was  a  mystery.  That  was  natural,  since  it  occurred  twenty 
years  ago — what  remained  unknown  then  is  necessarily  ten  times 
harder  to  discover  now.  I  will  tell  you  more  at  another  time.  I 
have  now  what  amounts  to  a  conviction — I  will  act  upon  it." 

Dr.  Haworth  then  went  back  to  the  house  by  the  path  which  he 
had  taken  in  coming,  and  half  an  hour  afterward  Jean  Baptiste  ap 
peared  from  the  direction  of  the  stables. 

It  was  not  probable  that  Miss  Burns,  if  she  had  seen  them  walk 
jway  together,  suspected  anything. 


XIII. 

THE  MAIL. 

Miss  BURNS  did  not  take  her  weekly  ride  to  Abbeyville,  having 
a  bad  headache,  which  confined  her  to  her  chamber. 

Having  then  no  sewing  to  do  she  had  recourse  to  her  pen,  and 
seemed  to  be  much  interested  in  the  letter  she  was  writing.  She 
wrote  quite  a  good  hand,  and  appeared  to  express  herself  without 
difficulty ;  in  fact,  she  had  received  a  fair  public  school  education, 
and  had  a  cultivated  taste  for  reading  dime  novels. 

Toward  sunset  she  announced  with  pathetic  sweetness  to  sym 
pathizing  Mrs.  Maurice  that  her  headache  was  nearly  gone ;  took  a 
stroll  in  the  grounds,  ana  returned  about  twilight. 

It  was  just  growing  dark  when  Dr.  Haworth,  who  had  been 
riding  out,  came  back  and  found  Jean  awaiting  him. 

"  I  have  something  for  your  excellency,"  said  the  boy. 

"  Very  well,"  said  Dr.  Haworth,  "  bring  it  to  my  room.  I  am 
going  to  make  my  toilet." 

He  went  up  to  his  chamber,  and  ten  minutes  afterwards  Jean 
entered  and  closed  the  door. 

"  Here  is  a  letter  I  found  in  the  mail-bag,"  he  said,  with  quiet 
enjoyment.  "  I  thought  it  would  interest  your  excellency." 

Dr.  Haworth  took  the  letter,  which  was  unsealed,  and  opened  it, 
muttering,  "  War  is  war." 

It  was  not  very  long.  Miss  Burns  had  written  in  a  large  hand 
what  follows : 

"  There  is  very  little  use  in  my  staying  here  any  longer.  I  am 
suspected  and  they  are  watching  me.  The  boy  suspects  me — I 
can  see  him  looking  sideways  at  me  at  all  times  of  the  day ;  and  he 
has  begun  to  look  at  me,  too,  in  the  same  way. 

"  I  can't  find  any  papers.  I  couldn't  look  in  the  day  time,  as  all 
the  doors  are  kept  open,  and  I  went  at  night.  I  was  afraid  at  first, 
but  I  went — while  they  were  both  asleep.  There  was  nothing  there, 
and  his  trunk  was  locked,  and  I  could  not  find  the  key.  . 

"  I  hate  that  boy ;  he  is  a  hateful  little  wretch.  And  he  is  a 
cruel  man.  I  as  much  as  asked  him  to  escort  me  to  town,  and  he 
excused  himself  on  account  of  an  engagement  with  that  girl,  and  I 
believe  made  one  afterward  with  her.  Somebody  wants  to  know 
whether  she  cares  anything  for  him.  I  rather  think  she  does.  She 


Il8  THE   MAIL 

is  so  lovesick  about  him  that  it  makes  me  sick  at  my  stomach.  \ 
never  knew  it  till  lately— and  he  is  just  as  bad  about  her.  How  I 
hate  her  and  him.  I  do  believe  they  are  engaged. 

"  I  am  going  back  home,  as  I  am  no  use  here.  Why  don't  some 
body  write  an  anonymous  letter  telling  them  that  he  is  an  escaped 
convict,  or  something  ?  That  would  be  nice.  If  they  don't,  he  will 
marry  that  simpering  doll  and  laugh  at  everybody. 

"  P.  S. — Somebody  had  better  write  that  anonymous  letter. 

"  P.  S.  again.  I  wish  Somebody  would  have  that  money  ready 
for  me,  as  I  did  not  come  here  to  sew  for  a  trifle.  You  know  why 
I  came  here.  Tell  Somebody  I  want  that  money." 

This  was  not  signed,  but  Miss  Burns  had  the  characteristics  of 
great  writers — her  productions  reflected  her  individuality. 

"  What  do  you  think  of  that,  Excellency  ?  "  said  Jean  in  high 
good  humor,  "  I  took  the  liberty  to  read  it." 

"  I  think  it  very  well  written,"  said  Dr.  Haworth.  "  Take  it. 
back." 

"Back?" 

"  To  your  mail-bag  of  course ;  that  is  the  proper  proc  ceding. 
Let  us  not  try  to  surpass  his  French  majesty.  He  always  honestly 
forwarded  letters  after  discovering  what  they  contained." 

"  You  mean  then — " 

"  To  invite  the  anonymous  letter  ?  Yes.  That  will  arrive  in  a 
day  or  two.  There  is  another  point.  Let  us  reap  the  reward,  at 
least,  if  we  are  to  resort  to  underhand  warfare.  I  prefer  to  have 
Miss  Burns  remain  here  for  two  or  three  days." 

"  Your  Excellency  is  right,"  said  Jean  in  a  low  voice.  "  The 
letter  will  be  back  there  in  fifteen  minutes." 

"  Go  at  once  ;  the  mail-carrier  may  come." 

Jean  sauntered  from  the  chamber,  went  down-stairs  and  out 
through  a  side  door.  Once  outside  he  began  running,  as  it  was  now 
dark  and  no  one  could  see  him.  In  ten  minutes  he  was  at  the  ash 
tree  and,  depositing  the  letter,  returned  quietly  to  the  house. 

He  had  seen  no  indications  that  any  one  had  visited  the  spot  in 
his  absence. 


THE  REWARD  FOR  HOLDING  A  LAMPSHADE. 

XIV. 
THE  REWARD  FOR  HOLDING  A   LAMPSHADE. 

DR.  HAWORTH  was  quite  correct  in  his  surmise.  Two  days 
afterward  the  anonymous  letter  arrived. 

It  was  a  very  mild  evening,  and  the  whole  family  had  gone  out 
to  the  veranda,  when  a  servant,  who  had  been  sent  to  Abbeyville 
for  the  mail,  returned  with  the  bag. 

Mr.  Tim  Maurice  opened  it  and  distributed  two  or  three  letters 
to  the  ladies.  Then  he  extracted  his  newspaper  and  a  letter  ad 
dressed  to  himself,  which  he  proceeded  to  open. 

Dr.  Haworth  was  conversing  with  Mrs.  Maurice,  but  his  eyes, 
passing  beyond  her,  fixed  themselves  with  interest  on .  Mr.  Tim 
Maurice's  face.  Suddenly  that  gentleman  looked  up  with  a  singu 
lar  expression  and  caught  Dr.  Haworth's  eye. 

"  Here  is  something  that  will  interest  you,  Doctor,"  he  said.  "  I 
wonder  who  could  have  written  it  ?  " 

"  Interest  me  f  "  said  Dr.  Haworth,  composedly. 

"  Read  it." 

Dr.  Haworth  took  the  letter  and  read  this  written  in  a  bold  hand  : 

"  Sir :  A  friend  takes  the  liberty  of  informing  you  that  the  Dr. 
Haworth  now  at  your  house  is  an  impostor.  He  is  not  the  person 
he  pretends  to  be.  He  escaped  from  jail  in  Texas,  and  is  traveling 
under  a  false  name.  You  may  not  believe  the  writer  of  an  anony 
mous  letter,  but  there  are  reasons  why  this  one  is  not  signed.  The 
only  intention  of  the  writer  is  to  warn  you  against  a  crank  and 
fraud." 

Having  read  this  letter  Dr.  Haworth  handed  it  back  to  Mr.  Tim 
Maurice,  and  said  with  a  smile  : 

"  Do  you  believe  that  ?  " 

"Well,"  said  Mr.  Tim  Maurice  in  a  grave  tone,  "the  writer 
seems  to  believe  what  he  says." 

"  So  he  does." 

"  I  am  afraid  appearances  are  against  you,  Doctor.  Don't  you 
think  so,  ladies  ?  Just  read  this." 

He  bent  over  and  gave  it  to  Mrs.  Maurice,  who  read  it  and  said 
in  a  tone  of  surprise : 

"  That  is  really  too  outrageous  !  Who  could  have  presumed  to 
write  it,  and  what  was  the  object  of  it  ?  " 


120    'THE  REWARD  FOR  HOLDING  A  LAMPSHADE. 

Miss  Gary  had  meanwhile  snatched  it  and  was  reading  it  with 
flushed  cheeks. 

"  Who  dared  to  send  this ! "  she  exclaimed,  raising  her  head 
with  the  air  of  a  queen. 

"  I  really  don't  know,"  said  Uncle  Tim.  "  There  is  no  name  to 
it,  which  I  agree  is  a  little  suspicious  ;  but  then,  there  is  the  charge, 
my  dear,  and  I  need  not  say,  even  at  the  risk  of  hurting  Dr.  Ha- 
worth's  feelings,  that  it  is  extremely  serious." 

Miss  Gary  Maurice  looked  into  her  uncle's  face  with  the  expres 
sion  of  a  person  who  doubts  if  they  have  heard  certain  words  aright. 

"  Serious  ! "  she  cried. 

'•  Well,  my  dear  little  Cadie,"  said  Uncle  Tim  sadly,  "  I  would 
not  wound  you  for  the  world.  Dr.  Haworth  is  your  friend,  and  you 
know  how  much  I  esteemed  him.  I  say  esteemed — in  the  past 
tense,  you  observe — for  really  such  charges  demand  refutation." 

"  Uncle !  are  you  in  earnest  ?  " 

"  Of  course  I  am  in  earnest,  my  dear.  As  the  only  gentleman 
of  the  family,  I  am  under  the  painful  necessity  of  requesting  our 
guest,  Dr.  Haworth,  to  meet  and  refute  these  allegations.  I  have 
no  doubt  that  he  will  be  able  to  do  so." 

"  Uncle,"  cried  Miss  Gary,  with  blazing  eyes. 

"  An  honest  man  should  invite  investigation — not  endeavor  to 
avoid  it.  If  our  friend,  the  doctor,  is  the  person  he  professes  to  be, 
of  course  he  will  have  no  difficulty  in  establishing  the  fact.  I  do  not 
say  that  he  is  an  impostor,  or  has  escaped  from  jail  in  Texas  or  any 
where  else ;  but  then  mere  sentiment  will  not  answer." 

Miss  Gary  gazed  at  the  speaker  as  if  she  really  believed  that  he 
was  out  of  his  mind.  Her  lips  moved,  but  uttered  no  sound  ;  the 
great  blue  eyes  seemed  to  be  the  only  living  part  of  the  white  face. 

"  I  will,  therefore,  take  the  liberty  of  addressing  a  few  questions 
to  Dr.  Haworth,"  said  Uncle  Tim,  who  had  not  observed  the  girl's 
expression  of  anguish. 

"  I  will  answer  them  with  pleasure,  sir,"  said  Dr.  Haworth  com 
posedly. 

"  Be  good  enough  then,  Doctor,"  said  Uncle  Tim,  "  to  state  for 
my  information  and  the  information  of  the  ladies  of  my  family 
whether  you  did  or  did  not  escape  from  jail  in  Texas  or  elsewhere, 
and  whether  you  are  or  are  not  an  impostor  ?  " 

Miss  Gary  rose  to  her  feet  suddenly. 

"  You  shall  not  even  ask,"  she  cried. 


THE  REGARD  FOR  HOLDING  A  LAMPSHADE.    \t\ 

Uncle  Tim  started  and  looked  at  her. 

"  How  can  you — " 

She  burst  into  tears,  and  a  moment  afterward  Uncle  Tim  had 
her  in  his  arms,  crying  : 

"  Cadie  !  Did  you  think  I  was  in  earnest  ?  Did  you  imagine  I 
meant  what  I  said  ?  I  thought  you  would  understand  the  joke  !  I 
must  be  a  wretched  bungler — to  hurt  my  dear  Cadie's  feelings — but 
no ! "  exclaimed  Uncle  Tim  with  pride,  laughing  and  kissing  the 
sobbing  girl.  "  I  must  be  a  great  histrionic  genius  ! — an  actor  of 
the  first  order — for  you  thought  I  was  in  earnest !  " 

"  You  were  not  in  earnest,  then  ?  "  sobbed  Miss  Cadie. 

"  The  very  idea,  my  child,  to  suppose  that  my  opinion  of  any 
body,  much  less  of  Dr.  Haworth,  could  be  affected  by  the  coward 
ly  sneak  who  wrote  that  thing.  None  but  sneaks  write  anonymous 
letters,  and  I  was  only  amusing  myself  at  my  little  girl's  expense." 

"  You  ridiculous  old  thing  !  "  said  Miss  Gary,  with  candor ;  after 
which  she  laughed  and  returned  to  her  seat. 

"  I  believe  I  have  not  replied  to  your  question,  my  dear  Mr. 
Maurice,"  said  Dr.  Haworth. 

"  My  question  ?     Did  I  ask  a  question  ?  " 

"  You  asked  me  if  I  had  escaped  from  jail,  or  was  an  impostor — 
neither  is  the  fact." 

"  I  accept  your  apology — that  is  to  say,  your  very  satisfactory 
explanation,  Doctor,"  said  Mr.  Tim  Maurice  laughing.  "  And  now 
as  this  little  family  matter  is  settled,  would  you  like  to  see  the  even 
ing  papers  ?  Light  the  lamps,  Cadie — they  are  your  charge." 

Miss  Cary  rose  and  went  into  the  drawing-room  where  the  globe 
lamp  was  waiting  on  the  center  table, 

"  Will  you  hold  this  shade  for  me  while  I  light  the  lamp,  Dr. 
Haworth  ?  "  she  called. 

He  went  in  and  held  the  shade,  when  Miss  Cary  scraped  a  match 
and  lighted  a  wisp  of  paper.  As  it  was  flaming  she  held  it  up  be 
fore  him — it  was  the  anonymous  letter. 

A  moment  afterward  the  lamp  was  lit,  and  Dr.  Haworth  as  he 
placed  the  shade  upon  it  felt  two  warm  lips  touch  his  cheek. 

"  The  lamps  are  ready,  now,"  cried  Miss  Cary. 


122  PRIVATE  CORRESPONDENCE. 

XV. 

PRIVATE  CORRESPONDENCE. 

THE  result  of  Miss  Burns'  advice  had  thus  been  very  unfortu 
nate.  The  anonymous  letter  had  produced  no  effect.  The  Maurice- 
wood  family  had  simply  laughed  at  it. 

When  they  came  in  from  the  veranda  to  tea,  every  face  was 
smiling,  and  Miss  Burns,  seated  at  the  table  with  eyes  modestly  cast 
down,  as  usual,  had  the  pleasure  of  hearing  a  number  of  jests  ut 
tered  by  Mr.  Tim  Maurice,  to  the  effect  that  the  newspapers  were 
unutterably  stupid  now ;  there  were  no  reports  even  of  hair-breadth 
escapes  from  jail,  and  not  a  single  clerical,  medical  or  other  impos 
tor  had  been  recently  unmasked  ! 

Miss  Burns  listened  in  modest  silence.  She  was  a  very  quick 
witted  young  lady  and  had  probably  found  the  means  of  overhear 
ing  the  conversation  on  the  veranda.  Something  had  certainly  put 
her  in  a  very  bad  humor — that  was  plain  as  she  went  up-stairs ;  and 
when  she  began  the  composition  of  a  document  late  that  night  her 
handsome  forehead  was  contracted  into  a  frown. 

As  she  slept  in  a  small  room  by  herself  there  was  no  chance  of 
interruption.  At  about  1 1 130  o'clock  she  had  finished  her  letter, 
which'  filled  only  a  page  or  two  of  note  paper,  and  having  folded  it 
and  put  it  in  the  pocket  of  her  apron,  she  went  to  her  door  and  lis 
tened.  The  establishment  was  perfectly  quiet,  as  the  habit  of  the 
family  was  to  retire  about  10 ;  and  emerging  from  her  room  she  saw 
no  signs  of  light  anywhere.  She  then  arranged  her  shawl  so  as  to 
protect  her  head,  and  went  quietly  down-stairs  to  the  side  door  in 
rear  of  the  hall,  which  she  unbolted  without  noise  and  opened.  She 
then  listened  again  and  satisfied  herself  that  not  a  creature  was  stir 
ring.  There  was  no  danger  from  the  bark  of  a  dog,  as  none  were 
kept  at  Mauricewood,  in  deference  to  Mrs.  Maurice's  delicate  nerves 
— she  was  easily  awakened,  and  the  barking  disturbed  her.  Miss 
Burns  therefore  left  the  house  without  causing  any  stir  whatever, 
and  walked  rapidly  through  the  grounds  in  the  direction  of  the  ash 
tree.  It  was  a  superb  moonlight  night,  and  a  little  chill,  which 
made  her  wrapping  very  comfortable.  The  lateness  of  the  hour  evi 
dently  did  not  disturb  her.  Mauricewood  was  a  quiet  place,  where 
tramps  or  other  intruders  never  came;  and  Miss  Burns  therefore 
on  confidently,  and  soon  reached  her  ash  tree. 


PRIVATE  CORRESPONDENCE. 


123 


It  was  a  picturesque  object  in  the  moonlight  which  flooded  the  few 
remaining  leaves,  the  gnarled  boughs  twisted  into  fantastic  shapes, 
the  huge  roots,  and  the  straight  trunk  with  its  fine  bark.  As  the 
moon  was  sinking,  the  hollow  under  the  root  which  she  used  as  a 
postoffice  was  plain  in  the  light — the  trunk  throwing  a  deep  shadow 
on  the  rocky  mass  behind  it. 

Miss  Burns  stooped  down  and  looked  carefully  in  the  crevice 
under  the  root  where  she  evidently  expected  to  find  something.  In 
this  she  seemed  to  be  disappointed,  as  she  rose  up  with  empty  hands. 

She  then  drew  from  her  pocket  the  letter  which  she  had  written, 
placed  it  carefully  in  the  crevice  and  went  back  rapidly  toward  the 
house. 

As  soon  as  she  was  out  of  sight  Jean  Baptiste,  who  had  been 
hidden  in  the  black  shadow  behind  the  ash  tree,  came  out,  took  the 
letter  from  its  place,  and  going  back  to  the  shadow  patiently  waited. 

He  had  not  to  wait  more  than  half  an  hour.  At  the  end  of  that 
time  a  man  got  over  the  inclosure  of  the  grounds  about  fifty  yards 
from  the  tree  and  walked  quietly  to  it. 

Jean  had  no  difficulty  in  recognizing  him — it  was  Mr.  Job  Wil- 
kins. 

Mr.  Wilkins  made  a  careful  search  in  the  hollow  under  the  root, 
and  having  satisfied  himself  that  there  was  nothing  in  the  post- 
office,  drew  a  paper  from  his  pocket  and  concealed  it  where  Miss 
Burns  had  concealed  her  own  note.  He  looked  carefully  around, 
listened  for  a  moment,  and,  walking  away,  leaped  over  the  inclosure 
and  disappeared. 

Jean  then  emerged  from  his  friendly  shadow,  possessed  himself 
of  the  second  letter,  and  returned  to  the  house.  To  effect  an  en 
trance  he  was  obliged  to  use  precaution.  Miss  Burns  might  be  lis 
tening.  Miss  Burns  was  fast  asleep  by  this  time,  however,  and  rais 
ing  a  window,  which  was  not  secured,  Jean  gained  Dr.  Haworth's 
room  without  attracting  attention. 

As  he  came  in  he  drew  a  long  breadth  and  said  to  Dr.  Haworth, 
who  was  waiting  for  him  : 

"  I  hope  this  is  my  last  night's  work,  Excellency  !  I  don't  like  it ; 
I  might  be  taken  for  a  burglar !  " 

"  I  like  it  no  better  than  you,  Jean,"  said  Dr.  Haworth.  "  It  is 
wretched  business.  Every  instinct  of  my  character  is  opposed  to  it. 
I  have  made  up  my  mind  to  fight  this  man  openly  hereafter,  and 
not  meet  trick  with  trick," 


124  PRIVATE   CORRESPONDENCE. 

"  You  have  a  right  to  fight  him  with  his  own  weapons,  Excel 
lency  !  As  you  said  to  me,  I  remember :  '  War  is  war.'  " 

"  Yes.  That  is  to  say,  a  dirty  and  brutal  business.  I  mean  to 
have  no  more  of  this.  What  has  happened  ?  " 

"  She  was  there,  and  the  other,  too." 

"  Not—?  " 

"  The  Colonel  ?  No,  indeed  !  "  said  Jean,  laughing.  "  He  is 
much  too  prudent  for  that.  He  sent  his  go-between — or  one  of 
them — your  friend,  Mr.  Wilkins." 

"  Ah ! "  said  Dr.  Haworth,  in  a  tone  which  proved  how  much 
interest  he  took  in  Jean's  statement. 

"  There  was  no  mistaking  him — the  moon  was  too  bright.  He 
brought  a  letter  and  looked  for  hers.  As  I  had  found  it  before  him, 
he  left  the  one  he  had  brought  and  went  away.  Here  are  both,  Ex 
cellency." 

Dr.  Haworth  took  the  letters  with  evident  repugnance.  Then 
as  if  he  were  disgusted  with  the  whole  affair,  he  threw  them  dis 
dainfully  on  the  table  and  said  to  Jean : 

"Read  them  to  me." 

Jean  who  seemed  to  regard  the  whole  affair  as  a  pleasant  come 
dy,  opened  the  letter  brought  by  "Wilkins  first  and  read  it  in  a  low 
tone.  It  contained  only  the  lines : 

"  You  may  as  well  stop  the  watching,  as  it  does  no  good.  Get 
the  papers  and  then  come  away.  That  anonymous  letter  was  sent 
— was  it  received  and  what  effect  did  it  have  ?  Somebody  wants  to 
know  all  about  it  at  once. 

"  P.  S. — Get  the  papers." 

This  was  not  signed  in  any  manner  and  was  in  the  handwriting 
of  a  woman.  Jean  laid  it  on  the  table  and  said  : 

"  Some  woman  in  the  town  wrote  that,  I  suppose  ?  " 

"  It  seems  so." 

"  Now  for  the  communication  from  Miss  B.,"  said  Jean,  laugh 
ing: 

Miss  Burns  had  written  what  follows : 

"  The  anonymous  letter  came,  and  they  only  laughed  aj  it.  I 
was  at  the  folding-doors  in  the  parlor  and  heard  what  they  said. 
Mr.  Tim  he  pretended  he  believed  it,  and  she  was  ready  to  bite  his 
head  off,  and  began  to  cry.  Then  he  laughed  at  her  and  said  he 
.was  fooling,  and  then  she  came  in  with  him  and  she  kissed  him. 

"  That's  all  about  that.    I  am  coming  home  to-morrow,  as  \ 


PRIVA  TE   CORRESPONDENCE. 


125 


don't  mean  to  stay  here  any  longer.  If  somebody  wants  his  papers 
somebody  will  have  to  look  himself.  I  am  not  going  to  try  again. 
It  is  too  risky,  and  it  is  no  use,  and  I  am  not  going  out  at  night  any 
more.  I've  caught  cold.  What  is  worse,  I  can  see  they  suspect 
me,  and  I  am  sorry  I  ever  had  anything  to  do  with  this  business.  I 
wish  you  would  tell  somebody  I  must  have  that  money. 

"  P.  S.  I  thought  I  would  write  this  note,  which  will  be  the  last, 
as  I  am  not  certain  I  can  get  off  to-morrow.  I  believe  that  boy  is 
trying  to  find  what  takes  me  out  walking  about  dark.  I  am  going 
away  from  here.  Tell  somebody  I  must  have  that  money." 

"  Well,"  said  Dr.  Haworth,  drily,  "  everything  is  tolerably  plain 
now.  This  comedy  has  reached  the  last  act,  and  I  wash  my  hands 
of  the  wretched  business." 

There  was  a  small  fire  burning  in  the  fire-place.  He  took  the 
letters  and  threw  them  into  it. 

"  Another  person  might  have  kept  these  papers  to  use  against 
her,"  he  muttered.  "  I  will  not!  I  am  weary  of  tricks.  I  prefer 
real  war.  I  will  open  it  and  try  which  is  the  strongest ! " 

He  got  up  and  stood  before  the  fire,  reflecting.  At  last  he  said, 
turning  to  the  boy  : 

"Jean,  have  the  horses  ready  after  breakfast.  I  wish  you  to 
ride  with  me.  As  it  is  getting  late  and  you  are  probably  sleepy,  we 
had  better  retire." 

He  went  to  the  door  and  bolted  it. 

"  It  is  not  probable  that  our  young  friend  will  repeat  her  visit," 
he  said,  "  but  it  is  as  well  to  make  sure  of  it." 

He  had  not  observed  that  as  soon  as  his  back  was  turned  Jean 
had  snatched  the  notes  from  the  fire  and  put  them  in  his  pocket. 

About  an  hour  after  breakfast  on  the  following  morning  Dr. 
Haworth  came  down  stairs  booted  and  spurred  for  a  ride.  The 
horses  were  ready  at  the  rack — and  Jean  was  seated  on  a  root  of 
the  oak  overshadowing  it. 

As  Dr.  Haworth  came  out  the  family  carriage  drove  to  the  door ; 
and  in  reply  to  his  question,  who  was  going  to  ride,  the  dignified  old 
coachman  informed  him  that  Miss  Burns  was  going  home. 

Miss  Burns  came  down  a  few  moments  afterward,  followed  by  a 
servant  carrying  her  small  trunk,  which  was  strapped  behind  the 
vehicle.  Then  Mrs.  Maurice  and  Miss  Gary  appeared  and  shook 
hands  in  a  friendly  manner ;  and  Miss  Burns  got  into  the  carriage 
and  drove  away, 


126  THE    WARRANTS. 

She  had  not  looked  once  at  Dr.  Haworth,  but  as  the  carriage 
passed  by  Jean,  seated  on  his  root,  she  shot  a  furious  glance  at  him 
Thereupon  Jean  rose  suddenly,  rushed  to  the  vehicle  and  cried : 

"  You  are  not  going,  Miss  Burns  !  " 

In  the  ardor  of  his  feelings  he  seized  the  young  lady's  hand  which 
was  hanging  out  of  the  window — when  the  youth  found  more  than 
his  match. 

In  a  paroxysm  of  wrath  Miss  Burns  administered  a  tingling  slap 
on  Jean's  cheek. 

"  How  dare  you  squeeze  my  hand,  you  hateful  wretch ! "  cried 
indignant  Miss  Burns. 

"  Did  I  squeeze  it  ?  "  said  Jean,  laughing  and  rubbing  his  cheek. 

Miss  Burns  only  replied  with  an  exterminating  frown,  and  the 
carriage  then  disappeared  in  the  direction  of  Abbeyville. 

As  this  scene  occurred  on  the  side  of  the  vehicle  opposite  to 
the  veranda  it  was  not  noticed.  The  group  there  were  discussing 
Miss  Burns. 

"It  sounds  very  inhospitable,"  said  gentle  Mrs.  Maurice,  "but  I 
am  glad  Miss  Burns  is  gone.  There  is  something  about  her  which 
I  do  not  altogether  like." 

As  nobody  was  more  charitable  than  this  kind  woman,  Miss 
Burns  seemed  to  have  made  an  unfortunate  impression. 


XVI. 

THE  WARRANTS. 

AN  hour  afterward  Dr.  Haworth  and  Jean  were  at  Prof.  Les- 
ner's.  The  morning  was  pleasant  and  the  whole  surroundings  were 
as  bright  and  homelike  as  ever ;  but  the  Professor  seemed  not  to 
have  been  tempted  out.  He  was  not  in  the  grounds,  and  leaving 
Jean  with  the  horses  Dr.  Haworth  went  and  knocked  at  the  front 
door,  half  enveloped  in  creeping  vines. 

A  feeble  voice  from  the  library  on  the  right  said,  "  Come  in," 
and  Dr.  Haworth  entered  the  room.  Prof.  Lesner  was  half-reclin 
ing  in  a  large  arm-chair  with  a  book  upon  his  knees.  His  eyes  were 
dreamy,  and  there  was  an  unmistakable  odor  of  laudanum  in  the 
apartment. 

"Good  morning,  sir,"  said  Dr.  Haworth  in  a  tone  of  pity.    \H 


THE   WARRANTS. 


127 


was  evident  that  the  poor  professor  had  been  indulging  in  his  fatal 
habit  But  the  indulgence  did  not  seem  to  have  been  extreme.  The 
pallor  of  his  face  and  a  slight  trembling  of  his  hands  were  the  only 
indications  that  he  had  returned  to  his  vice. 

"  Dr.  Haworth,"  he  said,  rising  politely,  "  I  am  truly  happy  to  see 
you.  I  was  by  myself  and  moping.  Sit  down,  Doctor,  sit  down." 

He  shook  hands  cordially,  and  pointed  to  a  seat. 

"  Our  friends  at  Mauricewood  are  well,  I  hope  ?  " 

"  Quite  well,"  replied  Dr.  Haworth. 

"  They  are  charming  people,  charming.  I  really  envy  you  your 
good  fortune  as  an  inmate  of  the  family.  They  are  my  old  and 
cherished  friends." 

"  Then  you  are  even  more  fortunate  than  myself,  Professor.  I 
have  only  recently  had  the  pleasure  of  becoming  acquainted  with 
them.  You  have  known  them  a  long  time,  you  say  ?  ' 

"Oh,  yes,"  said  Prof.  Lesner,  with  a  bright  smile  on  his  pale 
face ;  "  all  my  life — or  rather,  all  theirs,  Doctor,  for  I  am  getting  to 
be  an  old  man,  now." 

"  Yes,  I  recall  our  former  conversation,  which  referred,  you  re 
member,  to  that  unhappy  affair  at  Mauricewood." 

"  I  remember  very  well ;  we  discussed,  I  think,  the  question  of  the 
real  criminal,"  said  Prof.  Lesner. 

"  Yes ;  well,  I  think  I  have  discovered  something  at  last  about 
the  murder." 

"  Ah !  "  said  Prof.  Lesner,  with  an  air  of  great  interest 

"  Your  theory  did  not  satisfy  me — that  Mr.  Maurice  had  met  his 
death  by  accidentally  slipping  and  striking  his  head  on  a  projection 
of  his  bedstead." 

"  It  was  only  a  conjecture,  Doctor ;  it  could  scarcely  be  anything 
more." 

"  It  is  improbable,  as  I  believe  I  said  when  we  discussed  it  be 
fore.  There  was  a  bona  fide  murder,  I  am  certain." 

"  It  is,  perhaps,  more  probable." 

"And  it  was  not  committed  with  the  hammer  found  on  tbt 
floor." 

"  Not  with  the  hammer?  " 

"  You  seem  surprised,  which  is  very  natural !  " 

"You  interest  me  deeply,  Doctor.  Then  you  have  discovered 
something — some  weapon  which  was  employed,  you  think  ?  " 

"Yes,  sir;  I  will  explain,"  said  Dr.  Haworth.    "Before  going 


128  THE    WARRANTS. 

any  further,  however,  it  is  necessary  to  inform  you  that  I  have  not 
called  this  morning  on  a  merely  friendly  visit.  My  business  is  quite 
serious,  and  I  beg  you  will  regard  what  I  say  as  addressed  to  you 
in  your  official  capacity." 

"  My  official  capacity,  Doctor  ?  " 

"  As  a  magistrate.  You  informed  me  recently  that  you  had  been 
commissioned  a  Justice." 

"  That  is  true — a  very  poor  one,  I  fear,  but  I  was  a  sort  of  ama 
teur  lawyer  once,  and  shall  manage  to  stumble  along,  I  hope." 

"  I  have  every  confidence  in  your  capacity,  sir,  and  believe  your 
friends  have  made  an  excellent  selection.  It  is  in  your  character  of 
magistrate,  therefore,  that  I  shall  say  to  you  what  I  have  to  say." 

"Certainly — it  shall  be  strictly  confidential.  Do  I  understand 
you  to  say  that  it  relates  to  the  murder  of  Mr.  Maurice  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  To  the  manner  of  his  death,  I  think  you  said." 

"  Precisely.  He  was  not  struck  on  the  head  with  the  hammer 
or  any  other  weapon — at  first  at  least.  He  was  garroted." 

"  Garroted  !  what  is  that  ?  Oh,  yes — I  believe  I  understand  you. 
Do  you  really  think  so  ?  What  induces  you  to  believe  it  ?  Gar 
roted  ! " 

"  The  discovery  of  this  cord  in  his  bed,"  said  Dr.  Haworth,  tak 
ing  the  garrote  from  his  pocket. 

"  That  very  cord !  "  exclaimed  Prof.  Lesner,  looking  at  the  fatal 
object  with  an  air  of  repugnance. 

"  This  very  cord.  It  had  been  dropped  by  the  murderer  or  was 
broken  in  the  struggle ;  here  are  marks  of  a  fracture.  Mr.  Maurice 
was  first  strangled,  and  possibly  finished  by  a  blow." 

"And  that  has  lain  there  for  twenty  years  ?  It  is  really  horrible, 
Doctor !  " 

"The  failure  to  discover  it  was  very  simple,"  said  Dr.  Haworth. 
"  The  hammer  explained  everything,  and  no  one  thought  of  search 
ing  the  bed  where  the  clothing  was  tossed  about  so  that  this  cord 
was  concealed.  The  room  was  then  locked,  and  I  only  found  this 
on  a  recent  visit  to  it." 

"Well,  well ! "  said  poor  Prof.  Lesner,  looking  with  horror  at  the 
garrote  ;  "  who  would  have  believed  it  ?  Why,  Mr.  Maurice  must 
have  been  strangled,  Doctor !  " 

"  Unquestionably." 

"  Who  could  have  been  guilty  of  such  a  thing?  " 


THE   WARRANTS. 


129 


"  I  think  I  have  discovered  who  was  guilty,  or  at  least  an  accom 
plice  in  the  crime." 

"  Who  can  you  mean  ?  " 

"  Col.  Ross,  of  this  neighborhood." 

Prof.  Lesner  looked  at  the  speaker  with  an  expression  of  the  pro- 
foundest  astonishment. 

"  Col.  Ross !  "  he  exclaimed,  "  can  you  believe  that  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  It  is  impossible.  Why,  Col.  Ross  is  one  of  the  most  respecta 
ble  citizens  of  the  county,  Doctor !  " 

"  That  is  his  standing,  I  know.  Men  of  wealth  are  almost  al 
ways  respected.  The  fact  remains  that  Col.  Ross  is  connected  with 
the  affair  by  circumstances  which  it  will  be  necessary  for  him  to  ex 
plain." 

"  Col.  Ross !  "  repeated  the  poor  Professor,  unable  apparently  to 
take  in  the  idea ;  "  could  that  be  possible  ?  " 

"  Yes.  I  understand  your  surprise.  It  is  quite  natural  to  doubt 
charges  brought  against  rich  and  respectable  people.  I  need  not 
say  that  I  would  never  have  suspected  such  a  thing  of  Col.  Ross 
•without  grave  grounds  for  doing  so." 

"  You  have  grounds,  then  ?  " 

"  Certainly.  I  have  come  to  state  them,  after  which  I  shall  re 
quest  you  to  issue  a  warrant  for  his  arrest  on  the  charge  of  murder." 

"  A  warrant !  " 

"  Your  magistrate's  warrant.  Having  resolved  to  prosecute  Col. 
Ross,  and  bring  home  to  him  if  I  can  the  guilt  of  that  murder,  I  do 
so  regularly  by  applying  for  a  warrant  to  arrest  him." 

"  Yes,  certainly,"  said  Prof.  Lesner,  sighing ;  "  what  you  say  is 
perfectly  correct.  It  is  my  business  to  grant  the  warrant  if  I  think 
your  statement  affords  ground  for  it,  Doctor.  You  must  pardon  me 
for  being  prudent  in  this  very  serious  affair." 

"  It  is  proper  that  you  should,  Professor,  or  your  Worship,  as  I 
ought  now  to  call  you." 

"  I  prefer  Professor,  my  dear  Doctor  !  I  fear  I  am  a  very  inef 
ficient  worship.  I  will  not  hesitate  to  grant  you  the  warrant  for  Col. 
Ross'  arrest  if  you  show  me  reasonable  grounds  for  it.  I  am  only 
a  poor  recluse  and  he  is  rich  and  powerful,  but  that  will  not  deter 
me." 

"  I  am  sure  it  will  not,  I  will  therefore  proceed  to  state  the  cir 
cumstances." 


130  THE    WARRANTS. 

Dr.  Haworth's  statement  consumed  more  than  an  hour.    His 
theory  of  the  murder  of  James  Maurice  was  briefly  this  : 

1.  Mr.  Ducis  was  entirely  innocent  and  had  been  the  victim  of  a 
plot. 

2.  The  person  who  had  conceived  the  plot  was  Col.  Ross,  who 
had  quarreled  and  fought  with  Maurice  the  younger  in  South  America 
about  a  woman.     Maurice  was  the  successful  lover,  and  Ross  had 
resolved  to  revenge  himself. 

3.  They  both  returned  to  the  United  States,  and  John  Maurice's 
marriage  to  his  second  wife,  Miss  Ellen  Maurice,  was  the  moment 
selected  for  his  murder.    This  was  arranged  by  Col.  Ross — then 
Lieut.  Ross,  of  the  navy — his  design  being  to  put  an  end  to  his 
enemy  on  the  very  night  of  his  wedding. 

4.  Col.  Ross  did  not  execute  the  design  himself  in  all  probability. 
The  actual  criminal  was  no  doubt  the  man  Wilkins  who  had  been 
suborned  by  Ross  to  commit  the  murder.     He  had  quarreled  with 
the  Maurice  family  and  was  known  to  have  hated  them. 

5.  The  woman  Pitts  was  an  accomplice,  and  entered  into  the 
plot  to  secure  the  money  paid  by  Mr.  Ducis  to  Mr.  James  Maurice. 

6.  Ross  supposed  that  the  chamber  of  Mr.  James  Maurice  was 
that  of  the  bride  and  bridegroom,  since  the  young  lady's  presents 
were  displayed  there.    His  accomplice  entered  through  the  window, 
strangled  the  person  occupying  the  bed  in  the  dim  light  of  the  night 
taper,  and  probably  struck  him  afterward  with  the  hammer ;  the 
woman  Pitts  carrying  off  the  money. 

7.  The  hammer  and  glove  were  or  were  not  intended  to  crimi 
nate  Mr.  Ducis.     If  they  were,  the  weapon  was  purchased  for  the 
purpose. 

8.  The  whole  affair  was  inspired  by  Ross,  who  had  lived  in 
South  America  and  was  familiar  with  the  operation  of  the  garrote. 
The  aim  in  employing  it  was  to  insure  the  silence  of  the  victim,  who 
had,  however,  cried  out  and  alarmed  the  house. 

9.  The  proofs  that  Col.  Ross  had  a  thorough  understanding  with 
the  persons  engaged  in  the  actual  commission  of  the  crime  were  his 
night  visit  to  the  man  and  woman  in  the  hills ;  the  words  uttered  by 
him  on  that  occasion  and  overheard  by  Jean  Baptiste ;  the  visit  of 
his  paid  agent,  Miss  Burns,  to  Mauricewood  to  watch  Dr.  Haworth  ; 
the  employment  of  Wilkins  to  carry  the  letters ;  but  above  all  the 
use  of  the  Spanish  garrote,  which  would  never  have  entered  the 
mind  of  a  citizen  of  the  United  States  as  a  weapon  of  murder. 


THE  CONSTABLE'S  RETURN.  131 

"I  have  stated  the  case,  sir,"  said  Dr.  Haworth.  "  Do  you  see 
fit  to  grant  warrants  for  the  arrest  of  all  these  people  ?  " 

"  Yes ! "  said  Prof.  Lesner,  with  animation.  "  You  have  con 
vinced  me  almost  against  my  will,  Doctor.  What  a  black  affair ! 
Yes,  I  will  make  them  out  at  once,  returnable,  shall  I  say,  to-mor 
row  at  10  o'clock  in  the  morning?  " 

To  this  Dr.  Haworth  assented,  declaring  that  he  would  take 
them  in  person  to  Abbeyville  and  place  them  in  the  hands  of  the 
constable.  The  blank  warrants  were  then  executed  and  handed  to 
Dr.  Haworth,  and  he  and  Prof.  Lesner  entered  into  a  brief  conver 
sation  on  other  topics.  Dr.  Haworth  was  struck  by  his  host's 
power  of  mind  and  extensive  information.  The  poor  recluse  had 
evidently  cultivated  his  intellect  to  a  very  high  degree.  Unfortu 
nately  he  had  not  trained  his  will  to  resist  the  insidious  enemy, 
opium. 

When  Dr.  Haworth  went  away  they  exchanged  a  cordial  grasp 
of  the  hand,  and  Prof.  Lesner  said,  shaking  his  head : 

"  This  is  a  terrible  affair,  Doctor — charging  so  respectable  a  man 
as  Colonel  Ross  with  such  a  crime  !  But  the  law  makes  no  distinc 
tions.  I  am  only  a  poor  man  and  he  is  wealthy  and  influential, 
but  you  will  not  find  me  wanting.  I  will  examine  all  of  these  peo 
ple  to-morrow,  and  unless  they  explain  the  suspicious  circumstances, 
I  will  commit  them  to  jail  without  bail." 

"  I  see  plainly  that  you  will  perform  your  official  duty  under  all 
circumstances,  sir,"  said  Dr.  Haworth. 

He  then  bowed  and  rode  away  with  Jean.  An  hour  afterward 
he  was  at  Abbeyville  and  the  warrants  were  in  the  hands  of  a 
constable.  Dr.  Haworth  then  returned  to  Mauricewood. 


XVII. 
THE  CONSTABLE'S  RETURN. 

ABOUT  9  o'clock  on  the  following  morning  Dr.  Haworth,  ac 
companied  by  Jean  Baptiste,  set  out  on  horseback  for  Prof.  Les- 
ner's. 

His  expression  was  animated,  the  look  of  the  hunter  who  is  on 
the  track  of  his  game.  Now  that  the  moment  for  action  had  come, 
his  moody  absorption  had  all  disappeared.  The  soldier  had  re- 


132 


THE   CONSTABLE'S  RETURtf. 


placed  the  dreamer,  and  he  rode  on  rapidly  with  an  air  of  almost 
joyous  anticipation. 

"  I  begin  to  think  I  have  missed  my  vocation  in  life,  Jean ! "  he  said. 

"  Your  vocation,  Excellency  ?    What  pleases  you  so  much  ?  " 

"  I  was  born  for  a  thief  taker — a  policemen — to  say  '  I  arrest  you,' 
to  people." 

"  I  see.  You  are  happy  now  at  the  idea  of  putting  your  hand, 
as  you  call  it,  on  our  friend  the  Colonel ! " 

"  Yes.  '  Happy  '  is  not  the  word.  Doing  nothing  in  this  busi 
ness  has  rankled  in  me  for  years.  I  have  been  to  the  United  States 
before  on  this  errand,  but  could  never  see  what  was  to  be  done. 
Now  I  see  !  In  half  an  hour  the  game  will  open." 

Having  said  this,  Dr.  Haworth  spurred  on  and  reached  Prof. 
Lesner's,  where  he  threw  himself  from  his  horse. 

"  Wait  here  until  I  call  you,"  he  said  to  Jean ;  "  your  testimony 
will  be  taken." 

Jean  sat  down  on  the  horse-block  just  outside  the  small  gate 
smoking  a  cigarette,  and  Dr.  Haworth  went  to  the  door  and  knocked. 

"  Come  in,"  said  the  voice  of  Prof.  Lesner,  and  Dr.  Haworth  en 
tered  the  library. 

The  Professor  had  discarded  his  dressing-gown  and  was  clad  in 
a  neat  black  coat  in  honor  of  the  occasion.  The  table  had  been 
cleared  of  its  litter  of  books  and  papers,  an  official-looking  register 
was  lying  open  upon  it  with  pen  and  ink  near,  and  a  package  of 
blank  warrants,  together  with  a  Bible,  lay  beside  them. 

At  Dr.  Haworth 's  entrance  Prof.  Lesner  rose  courteously  and 
shook  hands.  His  face  was  friendly  but  grave.  A  night's  reflec 
tion  had  no  doubt  shown  him  the  full  nature  of  the  step  he  was 
about  to  take.  Indeed,  to  issue  a  warrant  for  the  arrest  of  so 
prominent  a  person  in  the  county  as  Col.  Ross  was  a  very  serious 
matter. 

"  I  was  expecting  you,  Doctor,"  he  said.  "  Take  a  seat.  It  is 
past  10,  1  believe." 

Dr.  Haworth  looked  at  his  watch. 

"  We  have  still  five  minutes,"  he  said,  sitting  down  in  one  of 
two  or  three  chairs  which  seemed  to  have  been  drawn  forward  for 
the  occasion. 

"  My  clock  is  a  little  fast,  I  am  afraid,"  said  Prof.  Lesner,  glanc 
ing  at  an  old  affair  in  the  corner.  "  I  was  wondering  why  you  had 
aot  arrived — and  the  constable  with  the  prisoners." 


THE  CONSTABLE'S  RETURN.  133 

**  They  will  arrive  soon  now,  I  have  no  doubt,  sir.  They  are 
not  due  for  four  minutes  yet,  as  your  warrant  was  made  returnable 
at  the  hour  of  10,  I  believe." 

"  Yes." 

Prof.  Lesner  uttered  the  word  after  drawing  a  long  breath.  Dr. 
Haworth  glanced  at  him,  and  he  met  the  look. 

"  I  see  you  think  I  regret  having  issued  the  warrants,  Doctor," 
said  Prof.  Lesner.  "  I  do  not — it  was  my  sworn  duty ;  but  you 
must  make  allowances  for  an  old  man  who  has  lived  so  long  in  re 
tirement.  I  almost  wish  now  I  had  not  been  commissioned  a  mag 
istrate — I  am  not  born  for  these  agitating  affairs.  Col.  Ross  is  a 
man  of  good  standing — I  have  never  heard  anything  against  him 
since  he  was  a  young  man,  and  then  he  was  only  a  little  wild.  Are 
you  certain  there  is  just  ground  for  arresting  him  on  this  fearful 
charge  ?  " 

"  Yes  !  "  said  Dr.  Haworth  briefly.  "  His  good  character  has 
nothing  to  do  with  the  matter,  sir.  It  is  a  legal  investigation. 
When  there  is  a  question  of  that  no  man's  apparent  good  character 
should  exempt  him  from  inquiry — from  arrest,  if  necessary." 

Prof.  Lesner  sighed  and  said : 

"  You  are  no  doubt  right.  I  agree  that  the  circumstances  you 
mentioned  are  very  suspicious." 

"  They  are  much  more  than  suspicious,  sir  !  " 

"  And  if  the  question  had  only  been  the  arrest  of  the  man  Wil- 
kins  and  that  woman — " 

"  I  understand  your  distinction,  but  the  law  applies  to  all,  high 
and  low  alike.  An  honest  man  ought  to  invite  investigation  if  any 
one  brings  a  charge  against  him.  If  Col.  Ross  is  innocent  you  are 
acting  as  his  friend." 

"  Do  you  really  think  so  ?  "  said  Prof.  Lesner,  brightening  up  a 
little. 

"  Certainly." 

"  I  am  glad  you  mentioned  it.  I  will  tell  him  that  such  was  my 
view — it  will  at  least  smooth  matters  a  little  I  think." 

"  There  is  no  objection  to  your  doing  so  of  course.  You  are 
about  to  have  the  opportunity.  I  hear  the  sound  of  hoofs.  Our 
friends  are  coming." 

Prof.  Lesner  listened,  and  hearing  the  sound  from  the  road  ar 
ranged  his  papers  with  a  rather  tremulous  hand — due  to  agitation  at 
the  approaching  ceremony  or  his  unfortunate  habit. 


THE   CONSTABLE'S  RETURN. 

"Here  is  some  one,"  said  Dr.  Haworth,  hearing  a  footstep  on 
the  porch.  "  Where  are  the  rest  ?  " 

A  man  came  in,  and  took  off  his  hat.  He  was  a  rough  looking 
personage,  in  a  suit  of  soiled  brown  and  horseman's  boots. 

"  Well  ?  "  said  Prof.  Lesner,  with  a  rather  ludicrous  assumption 
of  official  dignity. 

"  The  return  on  the  warrants,  your  Worship,"  said  the  man, 
ducking  his  head  and  coming  forward  with  some  papers  in  his 
hand. 

"  Where  are  the  persons  I  desired  to  be  arrested  ?  "  said  Prof. 
Lesner. 

"  Non  est  inwentus,  sir  ?  "  returned  the  man  in  a  gruff  voice. 

"  Not  found ! " 

"  That's  jest  it,  your  Worship.  Mr.  Briggs  he  was  took  sick  and 
give  me  the  warrants  to  serve.  Well,  Wilkins  and  his  wife  ain't  at 
home  and  Col.  Ross  is  gone  to  Washington." 

Dr.  Haworth  sat  still,  looking  fixedly  at  the  man. 

"  Is  that  true  ?  "  he  said,  in  a  hard  voice. 

The  constable  turned  round  and  looked  at  him  rather  insolently. 
He  said  nothing,  but  his  look  said  :  "  Who  are  you  ?  " 

Dr.  Haworth  was  about  to  reply  to  the  look,  but  Prof.  Lesner 
forestalled  him.  The  poor  Professor  was  evidently  not  ill  pleased. 
Indeed  he  seemed  scarcely  able  to  suppress  his  satisfaction.  He 
made  an  effort,  however,  and  said,  with  grave  dignity : 

"  Do  I  understand  you  to  say  that  Mr.  Briggs  intrusted  the  war 
rants  to  you  ?  " 

"  I'm  his  deputy — yes,  he  give  'em  to  me  to  serve,  your  Wor 
ship." 

"  And  Wilkins  and  his  wife,  you  say,  were  not  to  be  found  ?  " 

"  House  locked  up  and  not  a  livin'  soul  on  the  premises,"  said 
the  deputy. 

"  You  went  to  Col.  Ross'  of  course  ?  " 

"  In  course,  your  Worship.  He  had  left  by  the  morning  train — 
6:30." 

Prof.  Lesner  looked  at  Dr.  Haworth,  whose  brows  were  con 
tracted  until  his  eyebrows  nearly  met. 

"  With  your  Worship's  permission  I  will  ask  the  constable  a 
question,"  he  said. 

"  Certainly,  Doctor,  certainly." 

Dr.  Haworth  turned  to  the  man  and  said : 


THE   CONSTABLE'S  RETURN.  135 

"  Are  you  acquainted  with  Wilkins  or  Mrs.  Wilkins  ?  " 

"Well,  I've  seen  'em,"  said  the  deputy  shortly. 

"  Are  they  related  to  you  ?  " 

"  You  mean  kin  ?    No,  they  are  not." 

"  Are  they  friends  or  relatives  of  Mr.  Briggs  ?  " 

The  man  hesitated. 

"  Answer,"  said  Dr.  Haworth. 

"  I've  heard  tell  that  Wilkins'  wife  was  a  Briggs  afore  she  mar 
ried  her  first  husband." 

"  Well,"  said  Dr.  Haworth,  in  the  same  hard  voice,  "  I  have  no 
further  questions  to  ask  you." 

The  response  was  a  rather  sullen  look,  and  the  deputy  then  said 
to  Prof.  Lesner : 

"  Done  with  me,  sir  ?  " 

"  I — I  really  am  in  a  maze,"  said  Prof.  Lesner  feebly.  "  What 
would  you  advise,  Doctor  ?  But  I  ought  to  decide  for  myself,  I 
suppose.  These  warrants  are  returned  indorsed '  not  found.'  I  had 
better  issue  new  ones  and  direct  a  search  to  be  made  for  the  parties. 
Those  people  must  be  found,  and  Col.  Ross  must  have  a  new  war 
rant  served  on  him.  Would  you  advise  me  to  issue  it  now  ?  " 

"  No,  sir,"  said  Dr.  Haworth,  after  a  moment  spent  in  gloomy 
reflection ;  "  it  is  useless.  Some  accident  might  happen.  Mr. 
Briggs  might  be  taken  ill  again.  I  will  apply  to  you  when  I  think 
it  is  necessary." 

"  But  the  other  parties  ?  " 

"  They  will  not  be  found — unless  I  find  them.  The  whole  mat 
ter  is  perfectly  plain.  You  may  issue  the  warrant  I  requested 
against  them,  however,  if  you  think  best." 

"  I  think  it  would  be  better,"  Prof.  Lesner  said,  in  some  agita 
tion.  "  I  really  feel  quite  unwell,  but  I  will  make  out  the  new  war 
rants." 

With  a  shaking  hand  he  then  took  a  blank  warrant  and  made  it 
out  for  the  arrest  of  Wilkins  and  his  wife. 

"  Use  every  exertion  to  find  these  people,"  he  said  to  the  dep 
uty  constable.  "  It  is  unnecessary  to  trouble  Mr.  Briggs.  As  soon 
as  you  arrest  them  bring  them  here  at  once,  and  I  will  send  for  the 
Doctor  to  be  present  at  the  examination." 

The  deputy  took  the  papers  and  said : 

"  That's  all,  your  Worship  ?  " 

"  Yes — use  due  diligence,  my  friend." 


136  THE   CONSTABLE'S  RETURN. 

And  much  relieved  either  by  this  legal  phrase,  or  the  result  of 
the  whole  affair,  Prof.  Lesner  bowed  formally  to  the  deputy,  who 
ducked  his  head  in  response  and  went  away. 

As  he  left  the  room  Dr.  Haworth  rose. 

"You  are  not  going  so  soon,  my  dear  Doctor?  "  said  Prof.  Les 
ner. 

"  It  is  quite  useless  for  me  to  remain  longer,  sir,"  was  Dr.  Ha' 
worth's  reply  in  his  hard,  calm  voice ;  "  the  farce  is  over  and  I  have 
business  to  attend  to." 

"  The  farce  ?  " 

"  The  matter  is  perfectly  plain.  This  man  Briggs  is  a  relative 
of  that  woman,  and  notified  her  last  night  that  she  was  about  to  be 
arrested.  To  prevent  suspicion  he  is  taken  sick,  and  the  warrant 
served  by  his  deputy — or  not  served.  The  reason  why  the  parties 
were  not  found  is  easy  to  understand.  The  woman  having  been 
warned,  warned  her  husband,  and  he  warned  a  friend  of  his — Col. 
Ross.  Hence  the  sudden  necessity  of  Col.  Ross'  presence  in 
Washington." 

Prof.  Lesner  looked  at  Dr.  Haworth  with  a  helpless  expression. 
He  then  said  a  little  indignantly  : 

"  Is  that  possible  ?  But  you  must  be  right.  It  is  an  insult  to 
\ny  authority  !  I  will  have  this  man  Briggs  removed." 

"  You  have  no  proof  against  him — it  is  a  mere  surmise.  I  will 
take  the  necessary  steps.  On  Col.  Ross'  return  I  will  call  again  on 
your  Worship.  If  Wilkins  and  the  woman  are  arrested,  I  shall 
be  glad  to  hear  from  you." 

"  Promptly — you  will  be  notified  promptly,  Doctor  !  And  I  will 
issue  a  new  warrant  for  the  arrest  of  Col.  Ross  whenever  you  re 
quest  me  to  do  so.  I  shall  then  be  better  prepared  to  conduct  the 
examination.  I  am  a  little  unwell  to-day,  and  cannot  say  that  I  re 
gret  the  delay.  But  I  will  not  be  wanting,  Doctor — I  will  not  be 
wanting ! " 

It  was  unnecessary  for  poor  Prof.  Lesner  to  say  that  he  was  not 
as  much  disappointed  as  his  guest.  Nothing  was  plainer  than  his 
air  of  relief.  Like  most  persons  who  have  spent  their  lives  in  seclu 
sion  he  evidently  shrunk  from  resolute  action  ;  and  his  nerves  were 
doubtless  unstrung  from  other  causes. 

He  accompanied  Dr.  Haworth  to  the  door,  and  shook  hands 
with  a  friendly  smile. 

"  Come  again  and  see  me  unofficially,"  he  said.     "  Your  vis" 


TffE  CONSTABLE'S  RETURtf. 

its  are  a  great  luxury,  as  I  have  no  company  but  my  birds  and 
bees ! " 

Dr.  Haworth  bowed  and  then  rode  away  with  Jean.  The  boy 
had  asked  no  questions,  but  his  look  did  so. 

"  You  are  anxious  to  know  what  has  happened,  I  suppose, 
Jean  ?  "  said  Dr.  Haworth. 

"  Yes,  Excellency." 

"  Well,  Col.  Ross  was  notified  last  night  that  he  would  be  ar 
rested  this  morning  and  took  the  train  at  daylight  for  Washington." 

"  What  effect  will  that  have  on  your  Excellency's  plans  ?  " 

"  It  will  have  none." 


PART   III. 
CONVERGING. 


DR.  HAWORTH  ENGAGES  THE  WIRE  TO  LIMA. 

THE  journals  which  came  to  Mauricewood  and  afforded  enter 
tainment  if  not  instruction  to  Mr.  Tim  Maurice  and  the  ladies,  all 
at  once  began  to  be  filled  with  the  details  of  a  scandal. 

Col.  Ross  was  the  hero  of  it,  and  loomed  up  suddenly  as  the  great 
South  American  Colossus  who  managed  affairs  social,  political,  in 
dustrial  and  international  in  that  quarter  of  the  globe. 

He  was  alternately  exalted  as  the  flower  and  climax  of  modern 
civilization,  and  denounced  as  the  incarnation  of  all  that  was  corrupt. 
His  enemies  laughed  at  him,  styling  him  Col.  Sellers  Ross,  and  said 
that  he  bribed  people.  His  friends  defended  him  and  declared  that 
he  was  a  model  of  a  good  citizen.  Having  been  summoned  before 
a  committee  he  was  badgered  unmercifully ;  and  as  his  Russian 
Majesty  had  not  been  shot  at  for  a  fortnight,  and  there  was  noth 
ing  new  from  the  East,  the  newspapers  in  the  dearth  of  news  filled 
their  columns  with  Col.  Sellers  Ross  and  his  private  affairs. 

As  Mr.  Tim  Maurice  was  a  great  reader  of  the  newspapers,  and 
took  a  number,  he  became  familiar  with  the  proceedings,  and 
seemed  to  derive  great  pleasure  from  the  daily  reports  of  the  bad 
gering  to  which  Col.  Ross  was  subjected.  He  made  pleasant  com 
ments  in  the  bosom  of  his  family,  and  one  morning  said  to  Dr. 
Haworth,  rubbing  his  hands  with  evident  enjoyment : 

"  Our  friend,  the  Colonel,  seems  to  have  gotten  into  difficulties ! " 

"  It  seems  so,"  said  Dr.  Haworth. 

"  The  fate  of  public  men  !    Now  I  have  always  considered  my- 


DR.  HA  WORTH  ENGAGES  THE   WIRE  TO  LIMA. 


139 


self  lucky  in  occupying  a  '  private  station.'  Let  a  man  once  get  out 
of  it  and  all  is  over  with  him." 

"  That  is  very  true." 

"  It  really  is  a  debasing  business  ! "  said  Uncle  Tim  in  a  dis 
gusted  tone.  "  What  makes  people  ambitious  ?  Take  the  case  of 
a  human  being  who  has  health,  competence,  and  lives  happily — well, 
one  day  he  is  suddenly  bit  by  a  morbid  longing  to  be  somebody  — 
a  Senator  or  President.  What  good  will  it  do  him  ?  As  soon  as 
he  becomes  a  candidate  everybody  opposed  to  him  swears  he  is  a 
scoundrel.  The  morning  papers  take  away  his  appetite.  The 
evening  edition  keeps  him  from  sleeping.  Gall  and  wormwood  are 
his  bill  of  fare  for  breakfast,  dinner  and  supper.  Is  it  worth  it  ?  " 

"  It  is  far  from  being  worth  it." 

"  Why  do  they  play  the  losing  game,  then — losing  whether  they 
win  or  not  ?  They  are  apt  to  be  gray,  for  ambition  generally  attacks 
that  sort  of  people.  They  have  twenty  years  to  live  say — why  do 
they  prefer  living  it  in  hot  water  ?  " 

"  They  seem  to  like  it,"  said  Dr.  Haworth  philosophically. 

"  Well,  every  man  to  his  taste.  I  would  rather  eat  and  sleep  and 
laugh  and  enjoy  my  life  a  little  than  be  Senator  or  President  if  my 
liver  is  to  be  out  of  order  and  I  am  to  breakfast  on  the  opposition 
newspapers ! " 

Uncle  Tim  thereupon  laughed  heartily,  and  refolding  his  paper 
said  : 

"  Friend  Ross  is  having  a  hard  time  of  it.  They  are  charging 
him  with  all  sorts  of  rascalities.  I  suppose  it  is  the  penalty  for  be 
coming  a  rich  man." 

"  The  committee,  I  believe,  is  still  engaged  in  examining  him,  and 
he  will  no  doubt  be  detained  in  Washington,"  said  Dr.  Haworth. 

"  I  don't  know.  I  have  not  seen  him  since  his  last  visit,  and  he 
has  not  mentioned  the  subject." 

Uncle  Tim  smiled  when  he  said  "  since  his  last  visit."  The 
Colonel's  mishap  was  now  no  secret. 

Dr.  Haworth  made  no  further  allusion  to  him,  and  an  hour 
afterward  rode  in  the  direction  of  Abbeyville.  As  he  went  along 
he  said : 

"  There  will  be  time  enough.  He  will  be  obliged  to  return,  and 
then — war  !  The  main  point  is  to  be  ready." 

He  rode  on,  and  soon  reached  Abbeyville,  where  he  dismounted 
in  front  of  the  telegraph  office.  This  was  attached  to  the  railway 


140  DR.   HA  WORTH  ENGAGES   THE    WIRE    fO  LIMA. 

recently  built  through  the  town,  and  the  operator  was  a  polite  young 
man,  who  bowed  with  an  utter  absence  of  "  official  dignity." 

"  Do  y°u  connect  by  telegraph  at  Lima,  sir  ?  "  said  Dr.  Ha- 
worth. 

The  agent  looked  at  his  book  and  said  : 

"  Yes,  sir ;  by  cable  or  the  City  of  Mexico  and  Panama." 

"  I  wished  to  ascertain.  I  shall  probably  have  a  dispatch  to 
send  to-day  or  to-morrow.  Is  it  possible  to  control  the  wires  for  an 
hour,  say — I  mean,  to  monopolize  them  ?  " 

The  agent  looked  a  little  dubious. 

"  It  might  be  done,  sir — except  public  dispatches — on  govern 
ment  business — but  it  would  be  costly." 

"  I  should  expect  it  to  be.  My  object  is  to  send  and  receive  a 
number  of  messages  to  a  person  stationed  in  the  office  at  Lima." 

"  I  understand — to  have  a  talk,"  said  the  young  man,  smiling. 

"  Yes." 

"  It  might  be  easy  or  the  opposite  to  keep  the  wires  clear." 

"  I  will  probably  call  then  and  try.     My  business  is  private." 

"  It  will  be  so  regarded  under  all  circumstances,  sir — as  far  as 
this  office  is  concerned." 

"  You  mean  that  messages  not  in  cipher  are  not  private  in  the 
fullest  sense,  since  they  are  repeated  by  the  instruments  in  every 
office  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  It  is  of  no  importance,  since  your  rules  of  privacy  apply,  I  sup 
pose,  to  all." 

Dr.  Haworth  then  bowed,  remounted  his  horse,  and  instead  of 
returning  to  Mauricewood,  rode  in  the  direction  of  Dr.  Seabright's. 
As  he  reached  the  outer  gate  he  saw  the  gray-haired  physician  ap 
proaching  from  the  opposite  direction  and  waited  for  him. 

"  Good  morning,  Dr.  Seabright,"  he  said ;  "  have  you  a  mo 
ment's  leisure  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Dr.  Seabright,  shaking  hands  with  what  he  meant 
for  cordiality.  "  Never  have  any — don't  know  what  the  word 
means.  But  that's  no  matter,  I  take  it !  Come  in — glad  to  see 
you." 


DR.   SEABRIGHT.  \^i 

II. 
DR.   SEABRIGHT. 

THEY  rode  in  and  dismounted,  Dr.  Seabright  leading-  the  way 
into  his  small  home,  where,  being  a  widower  and  childless,  he  led  a 
life  which  must  have  been  a  dreary  one  if  it  had  not  been  so  busy. 

"  Sit  down,  Brother  Sawbones,"  he  said,  with  grim  jocularity. 
"  You  know  that's  a  pet  name  with  the  vulgar  crowd  who  don't 
appreciate  the  dignity  of  intellect." 

He  drew  forward  a  split-bottomed  chair  for  Dr.  Haworth  and 
added  : 

"  I  have  not  smoked  to-day." 

He  then  lit  a  long-stemmed  clay  pipe,  offering  another  to  Dr. 
Haworth,  who,  however,  declined. 

"  Tim  Maurice  and  the  ladies  are  well  to-day  ?  "  he  said. 

"  Perfectly  well." 

"  He  is  a  friend  of  mine — a  genuine  man.  I  have  known  him 
since  he  was  a  boy." 

"  You  are  no  doubt  acquainted  with  every  one  in  the  neighbor 
hood  ?  " 

"  Every  living  soul,  and  a  number  of  people  who  are  dead." 

"  You  remind  me,"  said  Dr.  Haworth,  "  that  we  were  speaking 
the  other  day  of  that  unfortunate  affair  at  Mauricewood.  You 
knew  Mr.  James  Maurice  and  Mr.  Ducis,  who  was  charged  with 
that  murder  ?  " 

"  Certainly." 

"  I  think  you  said  Mr.  Ducis  was  a  friend  of  yours  ?  " 

"  The  best  friend  I  ever  had — one  of  nature's  noblemen  !  "  said 
Dr.  Seabright,  smoking  like  a  steamboat  funnel. 

Dr.  Haworth  made  no  reply.  He  fixed  his  eyes  upon  Dr.  Sea- 
bright,  and  for  about  a  minute  continued  to  look  straight  at  him. 
This  fixed  gaze  evidently  attracted  his  companion's  attention,  for  he 
returned  it  with  one  from  beneath  his  bushy  gray  brows  which 
seemed  keen  enough  to  bore  a  hole. 

"  Dr.  Seabright,"  said  Dr.  Haworth,  "  I  have  come  to  this  coun 
try  to  find  who  murdered  Mr.  James  Maurice  of  Mauricewood,  on 
the  night  of  the  yth  of  May,  1860,  and  require  your  assistance." 

At  these  words  Dr.  Seabright  rose  slowly  in  his  chair,  knocked 
the  ashes  from  his  pipe,  and  said : 


142  DR.    SEABRTGHT. 

"  Who  are  you,  and  what  is  your  object  ?  " 

"  It  is  unnecessary  to  reply  to  either  question.  I  will  reply  to 
both  when  the  time  comes,  and  that  will  be  very  soon.  I  repeat 
what  I  said.  I  mean  to  discover  who  murdered  James  Maurice — 
and  the  first  step  is  to  discover  who  did  not." 

Dr.  Seabright  had  never  taken  his  eyes  from  the  face  of  his  com 
panion. 

"Explain  what  you  mean  by  the  words  'who  did  not,'  "  he  said. 

"  It  is  not  necessary,  since  you  already  understand.  Mr.  Duels, 
you  say,  was  innocent  ?  " 

"  Yes— I'll  swear  to  that." 

"It  has  never  been  proved." 

"  No,  it  has  not  been  proved  in  a  court  of  justice." 

"  Do  you  wish  to  have  the  fact  established  there  ?  " 

"  The  innocence  of  my  friend  Henry  Ducis  ?  Dr.  Haworth,  if 
you  will  furnish  me  with  evidence  to  wipe  off  the  stain  on  his  name 
I  will  sit  down  there  at  that  table  and  make  you  a  deed  for  this  home, 
my  farm,  and  all  outstanding  accounts  due  me  for  ten  years  back." 

"  I  will  furnish  the  evidence — or  make  the  attempt — without  the 
deed ;  but  I  require  your  help.  Do  you  mean  to  give  it  ?  " 

"  Yes ! "  said  Dr.  Seabright  with  a  flush  in  his  wintry  cheeks. 
"  And  now  talk  plainly.  I  don't  care  to  know  why  you  are  inter 
ested  in  this  matter,  or  anything  about  it.  If  you  think  you  can 
clear  the  memory  of  Henry  Ducis  from  this  charge,  you  can  count 
on  Robert  Seabright." 

Dr.  Haworth  extended  his  hand  and  said : 

"It  is  agreed  then  that  from  this  time  we  will  act  together, 
is  it  ?  " 

"  It  is  agreed !  "  said  Dr.  Seabright,  grasping  the  hand  with  the 
wrench  of  a  vice. 

"  Well,  now  that  this  is  understood  I  will  ask  you  some  ques 
tions." 

"  I  will  answer  any  and  all  I  can." 

"  Are  we  alone  ?  " 

Dr.  Seabright  went  and  shut  the  doors. 

"  There  is  not  a  soul  in  the  house  but  my  old  house-keeper,  who 
is  as  deaf  as  a  post,"  he  said. 

He  then  sat  down  again. 


THE  APPOINTMENT.  143 

III. 
THE  APPOINTMENT. 

DURING  this  conversation  Dr.  Haworth's  expression  had  grad 
ually  grown  animated.  It  is  possible  that  he  had  anticipated  diffi 
culties  which  had  not  presented  themselves. 

"  What  I  shall  now  say,  Dr.  Seabright,"  he  began,  "  is  said  to 
you  with  absolute  confidence — to  the  friend  of  Henry  Ducis." 

"  Understood  !  I  am  not  a  gossip ;  what  you  say  to  me  is  said 
to  no  one  else." 

"  I  am  sure  of  you — I  am  not  sure  of  many  people.  I  will  now 
come  to  the  point." 

"  Nothing  I  like  better !  " 

"  Who  was  the  keeper  of  the  warehouse  where  Mr.  Ducis  pur 
chased  the  fertilizers  on  the  7th  or  the  8th  of  May,  1860?  " 

"  His  name  was  Thomas  Williams." 

"  Is  he  living  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  You  are,  perhaps,  acquainted  with  him  ?  " 

"  I  ought  to  be.  I  have  practiced  in  his  family  for  twenty-five 
years." 

"  Is  he  still  in  business  ?  " 

"  No ;  his  nephew  is,  however." 

"  At  Sinclair  Station  ?  " 

"  They  call  it  Sinkler's — yes." 

"  Do  you  ever  ride  in  that  direction  ?  " 

"  Frequently. " 

"  Will  it  be  agreeable  to  you  to  do  so  to-morrow  ?  " 

"  Yes.     I  think  I  understand  what  your  ride  is  for,  but — " 

"  I  will  come  back  to  this  point  in  a  moment.  On  the  trial  of 
Mr.  Ducis  the  hammer  and  glove  found  at  Mauricewood  were  pro 
duced  I  suppose." 

"Of  course." 

"  Where  are  they  now  ?  " 

"  Don't  know.    The  Sheriff  or  jailer  may  have  them." 

"Are  the  same  people  living?  " 

"They  are  both  dead." 

"  You  are  acquainted  with  those  serving  at  present  ?  " 

"  I  know  them  both." 


144 


THE 


"  It  is  possible  that  the  hammer  and  glove  may  be  found.  These 
pieces  of  evidence  are  sometimes  kept  —  or  they  are  thrust  into  some 
closet  when  they  are  not  given  away  to  curiosity-hunters." 

"Yes." 

"  It  is  desirable  to  secure  them  both  if  they  can  be  secured." 

Dr.  Seabright  had  re-filled  his  pipe,  and  was  smoking  and  re 
flecting. 

"Well,  I  think  I  understand  what  you  are  after,"  he  said  at 
length.  "  You  are  curious  to  have  a  look  at  the  hammer  which  was 
said  to  be  the  weapon  that  murdered  James  Maurice  —  though  it 
never  did  ;  the  glove  that  was  found  outside  the  window  ;  and  the 
leaf  of  the  ledger  with  the  entry  of  the  purchase  of  the  fertilizers  by 
Henry  Ducis." 

"  Precisely." 

"  It  is  doubtful  whether  the  glove  and  hammer  can  be  found," 
said  Dr.  Seabright,  "  but  there  will  be  no  trouble  about  the  ledger. 
Old  Tom  Williams  was  a  methodical  man  and  never  destroyed 
papers.  His  ledgers  for  thirty  years  are  piled  up  somewhere  —  but 
it  will  be  useless  to  look  at  the  entry." 

"  Why  ?  " 

"  I  examined  it  myself  at  the  time  of  the  trial.  The  date  was 
May  8,  which  was  the  day  after  the  murder,  and  the  alibi  fell  to  the 
ground." 

"  Was  Mr.  Williams  sworn  ?  " 

"Certainly.  He  testified  that  he  had  no  means  of  fixing  the 
exact  day  besides  the  entry  ;  he  only  remembered  that  Mr.  Ducis 
had  been  at  the  warehouse  about  sunset,  and  after  finishing  his  busi 
ness  rode  further  on  to  spend  the  night  at  his  friend's,  Mr.  Russell's, 
he  said." 

"  Mr.  Russell,  I  understand,  could  not  swear  positively  whether 
this  was  the  night  of  the  ;th  or  8th  ?  " 

"  He  said  he  could  not  swear  —  he  believed  it  was  the  7th." 

"  So  the  entry  in  the  ledger  was  corroborated  ?  " 

"  To  that  extent  —  that  Russell  could  not  positively  contradict  it." 

"  The  entry  has  been  tampered  with,"  said  Dr.  Haworth,  "  to 
destroy  Mr.  Ducis." 

"Well,"  said  Dr.  Seabright,  coolly,  "that  theory  was  set  up, 
but  there  was  no  erasure." 

"  That  is  the  question." 

"  I  examined  it  myself." 


THE  APPOINTMENT.  145 

"  I  wish  to  examine  it  in  my  turn." 

Dr.  Seabright  shook  his  head. 

"  Can  you  arrange  with  Mr.  Williams  to  afford  the  opportuni- 
ty?" 

"  Easily — there  will  be  no  trouble.  The  ledgers  are  apt  to  be  at 
Williams'  house — but  it  is  time  lost." 

"  I  will  lose  the  time.    Are  you  willing  to  lose  yours,  too  ?  " 

•Yes." 

"  To-morrow  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  Well,  I  will  be  here  at  9  in  the  morning  if  that  is  not  too  early." 

"  At  7  if  you  like  better." 

"  Nine  will  answer.  Meanwhile,  there  is  the  hammer  and  glove. 
It  might  be  better  for  me  not  to  appear  too  prominently  in  this  busi 
ness." 

"  You  are  right.  I  will  go  this  very  evening  and  see  whether 
they  are  about  the  jail  or  the  sheriff's.  I  can  make  up  a  pretext 
without  lying,  which  I  don't  like." 

"  Then  all  is  understood,  Doctor  ?  " 

"  Yes — understood  as  thoroughly  as  if  you  told  me  that  you  had 
your  own  reasons,  outside  of  mere  curiosity,  to  clear  up  this  affair. 
I  don't  care  a  baubee  what  they  are,  Dr.  Haworth.  I  don't  mean 
to  ask  you  a  single  question.  I  don't  like  strangers,  as  a  general 
thing,  and  I  have  never  had  any  very  extraordinary  confidence  in 
human  nature,  which,  according  to  my  thinking,  is  rather  a  slippery 
affair.  Some  men  are  genuine,  but  the  majority  are  sneaks.  I  like 
your  face  and  I  will  trust  you.  I  never  saw  a  man  with  your  look 
out  of  the  eyes  who  was  a  rascal !  That's  the  way  I  caught  the 
expert  asses  on  the  trial — every  eye  was  the  eye  of  a  sneak !  The 
trash  knew  nothing  of  what  they  were  talking  about,  and  they  knew 
they  knew !  I'll  help  you  up  to  the  handle  in  this  affair,  Dr.  Ha 
worth  !  You  are  not  going  to  make  anything  of  that  ledger  entry, 
but  I'll  see  that  you  have  a  look  at  it  all  the  same.  Are  you  going? 
Grog?  No?  Well,  good  day.  I'll  be  ready." 


146  THE  ENTRY  IN    THE   LEDGER. 

IV. 
THE  ENTRY  IN  THE  LEDGER. 

WHEN  Dr.  Haworth  made  his  appearance  at  Dr.  Seabright's  on 
the  following  morning  he  found  him  seated  smoking  a  pipe  in  the 
sunshine  of  his  small  porch. 

"  You  are  punctual,"  he  said,  taking  out  a  huge  silver  watch ; 
"  it  is  one  minute  before  9." 

As  he  was  speaking  an  ancient  clock  within  slowly  struck  the 
hour. 

"  Confound  this  watch  !  It  is  never  right !  "  exclaimed  Dr.  Sea- 
bright.  "  That  clock  keeps  perfect  time  and  this  watch  never  will 
run  with  it  two  days  in  succession  !  " 

"  The  difference  is  slight — your  horse  is  ready,  Doctor  ?  " 

"  I  was  indulging  in  a  smoke.  I  could  not  find  the  hammer  and 
glove." 

"  Then  you  searched  for  them  ?  " 

"  Everywhere.  I  have  no  doubt  they  were  taken  by  curiosity- 
lovers.  That  is  a  queer  phase  of  human  nature." 

"  Strange,  indeed." 

"  It  is  a  perfect  passion  with  some  people.  They  will  pay  dear 
for  a  piece  of  the  rope  that  hangs  a  murderer.  I  suppose  a  chip  of 
the  nitro-glycerine  shell  that  blew  up  Czar  Alexander  would  bring 
$1,000." 

"Yes—" 

"  To  come  to  business.  I  went  to  the  jail  and  the  Sheriff's  and 
talked  of  this  and  that  and  found  they  knew  nothing  about  the  ham 
mer  and  glove.  They  are  non  est  inventus,  if  that's  Latin." 

"  I  attached  no  importance  to  them." 

"  I  understand  you  agree  with  me  that  the  murder  was  committed 
with  that  cord  you  showed  me — or  garrote,  as  you  call  it." 

"Yes." 

"  There's  your  real  curiosity  !  Why  don't  you  put  it  up  for  sale 
— it  would  bring  its  weight  in  gold  !  But  here  I  am  getting  away 
again.  As  the  cord  was  the  cause  of  all,  the  hammer  amounted  to 
little — and  it  never  was  identified  as  Henry  Ducis'  property ;  nor  the 
glove,  which  was  a  common  riding  gauntlet.  I  examined  it,  and 
there  were  no  marks  upon  it.  There  was  nothing  to  show  that  it 
belonged  or  didn't  belong  to  Mr.  Ducis." 


THE  ENTRY  IN   THE  LEDGER. 

"  It  is  of  little  importance.  It  is  the  entry  in  the  ledger  that  I  am 
curious  about." 

Dr.  Seabright  shook  his  head,  and  said  in  a  discouraged 
tone: 

"  That  amounts  to  no  more  than  the  rest." 

"  I  have  not  satisfied  myself  that  you  are  right." 

"  You  think  there  is — " 

"Time  to  talk  on  our  side,"  said  Dr.  Haworth,  quietly.  "We 
can  be  certain  of  nothing  without  a  sight  of  the  entry." 

"  You  will  be  no  more  certain  after  seeing  it." 

"  Let  me  judge." 

"You  can,"  said  Dr.  Seabright,  drawing  a  folded  sheet  of  paper 
from  his  breast  pocket ;  "  here  it  is." 

"  The  entry  !  " 

"  The  leaf  from  my  friend  Williams'  ledger  which  you  wanted  to 
look  at,"  said  Dr.  Seabright,  unfolding  the  paper  in  a  deliberate 
manner.  "  After  you  left  J  thought  it  would  be  better  for  you  not 
to  appear  in  the  business,  as  you  said — it  might  create  remark.  So 
I  rode  to  Sinkler's  yesterday  evening  and  found  old  Tom  Williams 
on  his  porch.  He  was  glad  to  see  me  and  showed  me  the  ledger 
at  the  first  word  without  asking  why  I  wanted  to  see  it  even.  It 
was  waste  paper  only  now,  he  said,  and  to  make  a  long  story  short, 
I  cut  out  the  leaf  before  his  eyes.  He  neither  knew  nor  cared  why 
I  did — and  here  it  is." 

Dr.  Haworth  had  been  looking  fixedly  at  the  paper  which  Dr. 
Seabright  had  handed  him. 

"  This  is  the  actual  entry,  then  !  "  he  said,  with  a  glow  on  his 
face.  "  May  8,  1860 — the  day  after  the  murder!  The  alibi  was 
disproved,  unless  this  date  was  falsified  !  " 

Dr.  Haworth  drew  from  his  pocket  a  small  but  very  powerful 
microscope,  which  he  applied  to  the  spot  on  the  paper.  For  some 
minutes  he  examined  it  closely. 

"  Well  ?  "  said  Dr.  Seabright. 

"  There  has  been  no  erasure,"  he  said,  with  a  gloomy  expression. 
"  There  is  a  difference  in  the  strokes  of  this  figure  and  the  same 
figure  elsewhere — but  that  may  have  arisen  from  the  fact  that  differ 
ent  persons  made  the  entries." 

"Yes." 

"  And  the  same  persons  form  letters  and  figures  differently  in 
writing  at  different  times." 


148  THE  ENTRV   IN   THE  LEDGER. 

Dr.  Haworth  was  looking  at  the  paper,  moodily,  his  brows  knit 
together. 

"  There  is  absolutely  no  erasure,"  he  muttered ;  "  the  surface  of 
the  paper  is  not  frayed  in  the  least  degree,  but — " 

"  That  proves  it  was  a  clerical  error." 

Dr.  Seabright  stopped,  looking  with  some  curiosity  at  the  move 
ments  of  his  companion.  In  fact,  Dr.  Haworth  had  raised  the  leaf 
to  his  mouth  and  touched  the  date  of  the  entry  with  the  tip  of  his 
tongue. 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  that  ?  "  said  Dr.  Seabright. 

"  I  mean  that  I  was  right,  after  all,"  was  the  reply  in  a  low  voice, 
accompanied  by  a  threatening  flash  of  the  eye,  "  the  entry  has  been 
changed." 

"  How  was  that  possible  ?  " 

"  By  a  very  simple  means — oxalic  acid  or  the  oxolate  of  potash 
are  cheap  and  accessible  chemicals.  The  real  date  has  been  oblit 
erated  from  this  paper  by  a  solution  of  one  or  the  other  and  the  false 
date  substituted." 

"  Are  you  sure  of  that ! "  exclaimed  Dr.  Seabright. 

"Judge  for  yourself.  Touch  this  spot  upon  the  paper  with  your 
tongue." 

Dr.  Seabright  did  so. 

"  Sour !  "  he  said. 

"  Salt  of  sorrel  is  sour  enough !  A  salt  of  potassium  and  the 
oxide  resulted  from  the  application  of  the  solution — the  real  date  dis 
appeared,  and  the  false  date  was  written  above  it." 

"  Is  it  possible  ?  "  said  Dr.  Seabright  gruffly.  "  Yes,  it  is ! — 
Who  was  the  scoundrel  ?  " 

"  You  use  a  plain  word.     Do  you  wish  me  to  speak  as  plainly  ?  " 

"Yes!" 

"  Is  Col.  Ross,  of  this  neighborhood,  a  friend  of  yours  ?  " 

"  Col.  Ross ! — a  friend  of  mine  ? — no,  he  is  only  an  acquaint 
ance." 

"  Well,  Col.  Ross  can  inform  you  who  falsified  this  date  and  de 
stroyed  Mr.  Ducis ! " 

At  this  announcement  Dr.  Seabright  rose  erect  in  his  seat,  look 
ing  at  his  companion  with  unmistakable  astonishment. 

"  Col.  Ross !  "  he  exclaimed. 

"  We  agreed  to  speak  to  each  other  plainly — I  keep  the  agree 
ment," 


THE   PSYCHOLOGY  OF  OPIUM. 


149 


"You  are  right.  But  do  you  really  believe  that  Col.  Ross  could — ?  " 
"  I  counted  on  your  surprise.  I  don't  believe  in  half-confidences 
with  men  like  yourself.  You  have  been  frank  with  me — I  am  frank 
with  you.  You  were  the  friend  of  Mr.  Ducis,  who  died  in  jail,  con 
victed  of  a  crime  which  he  never  committed.  I  tell  you  the  name 
of  the  man  who  either  committed  the  murder  or  was  the  prime 
mover  in  the  whole  black  affair.  If  you  wish  to  know  why  I  bring 
this  charge  against  Col.  Ross  I  will  tell  you." 

"  Tell  me — leave  out  nothing,"  said  the  old  physician  in  his  gruff 
and  resolute  voice.  "  If  that  man  was  the  real  murderer  he  shall  be 
brought  to  justice,  or  my  name's  not  Robert  Seabright  I " 


V. 

THE  PSYCHOLOGY  OF  OPIUM. 

ONE  morning,  a  few  days  after  the  interview  with  Dr.  Seabright, 
Mr.  Tim  Maurice  locked  his  arm  in  the  arm  of  his  guest,  Dr.  Ha- 
worth,  as  they  rose  from  breakfast,  and  said,  as  they  went  into  the 
drawing-room : 

"  Do  you  know,  my  dear  fellow,  I  think  you  have  something  on 
your  mind  ?  That  locked-up  chamber  must  have  made  you  gloomy. 
Even  Cadie  can't  make  you  smile,  sometimes !  " 

Mr.  Tim  Maurice  laughed.  The  engagement  was,  of  course,  no 
secret  from  him. 

"  It  is  only  your  fancy  that  I  am  gloomy,  my  dear  Mr.  Maurice," 
said  Dr.  Haworth ;  "  I  am  not.  I  am  naturally  quiet." 

"  You  ought  to  be  happy." 

"  I  am." 

"  Well,  you  seem — I  say  again — to  have  something  on  your  mind ! 
or  you  are  too  idle  here — a  man  of  action  rusts  when  he  has  nothing 
to  do.  The  great  mistake  you  have  made  in  life  was  not  becoming 
a  guano  and  nitrate  agent." 

"  Like  Col.  Ross  ?  " 

"  Precisely,  and  then  you  would  pass  time  in  a  lively  manner." 

"  His  examination  still  continues,  I  see,  there  before  the  House 
Committee." 

"  Yes,  and  I  fancy  our  friend  is  bothering  the  worthy  people — I 
doubt  if  they  are  a  match  for  him." 


I5O  THE  PSYCHOLOGY  OF  OPIUM. 

"  I  have  not  seen  the  morning  papers.  Is  there  a  prospect  of 
Col.  Ross'  return  ?  " 

"  He  is  not  apt  to  be  detained  much  longer,  I  fancy ;  but  you 
know  we  never  see  him  now,  and  it  makes  no  difference  as  far  as 
the  people  at  Mauricewood  are  concerned." 

Whether  Dr.  Haworth  acquiesced  in  this  view  or  not  did  not 
appear.  He  said  no  more,  and,  sitting  down,  took  up  a  book  which 
was  lying  on  the  center-table  in  the  drawing-room — with  the  air  of 
a  man  who  does  something  merely  to  employ  his  hands. 

The  title  of  the  volume  was  the  "Psychology  of  Opium,"  and 
Dr.  Haworth  knew  at  once  that  it  was  Prof.  Lesner's  work,  which 
had  just  appeared. 

"  A  new  book,"  he  said  to  Mr.  Tim  Maurice. 

"Yes,  I  picked  it  up  in  the  book  store  at  Abbeyville  yesterday." 

"  The  name  of  the  author  is  not  on  the  title-page,  I  see." 

"Well,  the  work  is  rather  peculiar  and  very  personal,  and  so  I 
suppose  he  suppresses  his  name." 

"  Personal  ?  " 

"  The  author  gives  his  experience,  as  the  Salvation  Army  people 
say.  I  have  been  looking  into  the  book,  and  see  he  describes  his 
own  sensations." 

"  Under  the  influence  of  opium  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  What  is  his  conclusion  ?  That  the  sensations  are  pleasant  or 
otherwise  ?  " 

"  Paradisical,  I  think  he  says — it  is  all  mere  rhapsody." 

"  And  he  says  nothing  of  the  Inferno  under  the  Paradise  ?  " 

"  Not  a  word.  The  fact  is,  I  rather  suppose  Mr.  what's  his  name 
don't  believe  in  any  Inferno.  As  far  as  I  can  make  out  he  believes 
in  nothing— but  opium." 

"  He  believes,  I  suppose,  in  a  soul,  since  he  employs  the  term 
psychology." 

"  Not  at  all — in  nothing  of  the  sort.  He  incidentally  mentions 
as  a  fact  accepted  by  all  intelligent  minds  that  death  is  the  end  of 
life  in  every  sense  and  that  there  is  no  hereafter.  I  don't  trouble 
myself  much  about  these  materialist  people  and  their  cranky  ideas — 
I'm  much  too  busy  seeing  the  wheat  seeded  and  straightening  up 
the  fences.  But  now  and  then  I  amuse  myself  with  these  whim- 
whams — when  they  are  amusing." 

"  I  understand  you ;  they  are  frequently  dull  ?  " 


THE  PSYCHOLOGY  OF  OPIUM.  151 

"Well,  yes — awfully  dull.  This  writer  on  opium  psychology 
puts  me  to  sleep.  I  had  a  delightful  snooze  with  his  book  on  my 
knees.  But  some  passages  are  rather  striking — had  a  good  supply 
of  opium  on  board  when  they  were  written,  I  suppose." 

He  took  the  volume  and  read  a  paragraph  aloud  to  Dr.  Haworth. 
It  was  a  rapturous  eulogy  of  the  effects  of  the  drug.  Existence  was 
sublimated — the  real  horizon  of  the  world  disappeared — then  two 
pages  of  rhapsody  set  off  with  exclamation  points. 

"You  are  right,"  said  Dr.  Haworth  ;  " that  smells  of  opium  at  a 
league's  distance.  The  man  is  a  slave,  and  is  bent  on  making  others 
slaves,  too.  I  prefer  being  a  free  man." 

"  Well,  so  do  I,"  said  Uncle  Tim  cheerfully.  "  As  you  say,  the 
author  of  this  book  says  nothing  of  the  hell  under  his  opium  heaven. 
I  am  willing  to  bet  that  he  is  a  miserable  creature  after  his  spells 
with  his  poison,  and  don't  enjoy  his  breakfast,  dinner,  or  supper." 

With  which  decisive  commentary  on  the  opium  habit,  Uncle 
Tim  put  on  his  gloves,  mounted  his  horse  and  went  to  look  after 
farm  matters. 

Dr.  Haworth  took  up  the  "  Psychology  of  Opium,"  and  read  here 
and  there  in  it  for  about  half  an  hour.  It  was  a  curious  perform 
ance.  There  were  rapturous  descriptions,  evidently  inspired  by 
those  of  De  Quincey,  and  the  author  plainly  aimed  to  show  only  the 
bright  side.  But  the  miseries  of  opium  here  and  there  came  out  in 
somber  flashes — chance  phrases  which  reveal  gulfs  unfathomable 
and  full  of  darkness. 

"It  is  really  pitiful,"  said  Dr.  Haworth,  laying  down  the  book. 
"  This  man  was  fitted  to  be  a  useful  and  even  admirable  member 
of  society.  His  intellect  is  clear  and  vigorous.  He  is  a  person  of 
extended  information.  His  nature  seems  to  be  amiable  to  the  last 
degree  and  his  instincts  all  excellent,  but  this  cursed  drug  has  ruined 
him  !  He  believes  in  nothing — but  opium.  He  cares  for  nothing — 
but  opium.  He  juggles  with  words,  and  speaks  of  psychologies,  and 
has  no  faith  whatever  in  any  psyche!  It  is  the  most  curious  demon 
stration  that  a  human  being  may  be  morally  irreproachable,  and  in 
tellectually  a  monstrosity." 

He  had  been  sitting  with  his  back  to  the  folding  doors  between 
the  drawing-  and  dining-rooms.  All  at  once  a  soft  touch  came  to 
his  shoulder,  and  looking  up  he  saw  Gary. 

She  was  rather  an  attractive  figure,  though  not  romantic-looking 
in  a  very  high  degree  at  the  moment.  She  had  on  a  calico  work- 


I£2  JEAN  RETURNS   WITH   GOOD  NEWS. 

apron  extending  from  her  chin  to  her  boots,  confined  at  the  waist 
by  a  belt,  and  she  was  busily  wiping  a  saucer. 

In  fact,  Miss  Gary  Maurice  was  washing  up  the  "  breakfast 
things  "  like  a  dutiful  young  woman  who  would  not  have  her  mamma 
do  it,  or  allow  careless  servants  to  smash  the  best  china.  As  her 
sleeves  were  rolled  up,  one  could  see  a  very  white  pair  of  arms,  and 
Miss  Gary  was  laughing  quietly,  both  with  her  red  lips  and  her  blue 
eyes,  which  were  bewildering  under  the  brown  bangs. 

She  had  heard  Mr.  Tim  Maurice  depart,  and  then  Dr.  Haworth's 
muttered  words.  Curiosity  compelling,  she  softly  opened  a  fold  in 
the  door,  without  attracting  attention,  stole  behind  the  occupant  or 
the  arm-chair,  touched  his  shoulder,  and  when  he  looked  up  into  her 
eyes  looked  down  into  his. 

Then  Miss  Gary  went  through  a  ceremony  which  is  always 
charming  in  her  sex  in  case  one  is  fond  of  them.  She  pushed  the 
hair  back  with  a  caressing  movement  from  his  forehead— after 
which  she  laughed. 

What  followed  this  agreeable  pantomime  ought  perhaps  to  be 
regarded  as  confidential,  but  then  there  is  perhaps  no  impropriety 
in  briefly  alluding  to  the  circumstance. 

Dr.  Haworth  took  the  hand  smoothing  his  hair  and  kissed  it 
with  almost  passionate  tenderness.  Then  he  pressed  his  lips  to  the 
white  arm  also  in  the  vicinity  of  the  elbow  and  drew  it  toward  him, 
looking  up  at  her. 

Miss  Gary's  person  naturally  followed  the  arm,  and  then  some 
thing  took  place. 

She  hesitated,  resisted  a  little,  looked  behind  her  and  blushed. 

Then  she  stooped  and  touched  his  forehead  quickly  with  her 
lips  and  disappeared  with  a  low  laugh. 

The  rattle  of  cups  and  saucers  a  moment  afterward,  from  the 
dining-room,  clearly  indicated  that  business  had  supplanted  romance. 


VI. 

JEAN  RETURNS  WITH  GOOD  NEWS. 

DURING  the  whole  day  Dr.  Haworth  seemed  to  be  absorbed  in 
thought  and  anxiously  expecting  something  or  the  appearance  of 
some  one. 


JEAN  RETURNS  WITH  cdo£>  NEWS.        153 

He  walked  to  and  fro  on  the  veranda,  turned  his  head  from  mo 
ment  to  moment  and  even  during  an  afternoon  interview  with  Gary 
in  the  drawing-room  exhibited  every  indication  that  something  oc 
cupied  his  thoughts.  Gary's  smiles  drove  away  his  moody  spell  for 
a  time,  but  when  she  went  to  her  household  duties  he  got  up  and 
began  to  pace  to  and  fro  again. 

As  the  sun  was  sinking  he  put  on  his  hat  and  walked  out  in  the 
grounds,  taking  the  path  toward  the  oak-tree  which  had  served  as 
Miss  Burns'  post-office.  He  looked  absently  at  it — he  was  evidently 
not  thinking  of  it.  All  at  once  he  heard  the  foot-falls  of  a  horse 
from  the  country  road  beyond  the  inclosure. 

He  went  and  leaned  on  the  fence,  which  was  of  substantial 
plank  set  in  locust  posts.  A  line  of  shubbery  followed  the  line  of 
the  inclosure,  and  through  an  opening  in  it  he  caught  sight  of  the 
horseman — Jean  Baptiste. 

A  word  stopped  him.  He  turned  his  head,  saw  Dr.  Haworth 
and  pushing  through  the  opening  in  the  shrubbery,  dismounted 
quietly  and  threw  his  bridle  over  one  of  the  posts. 

"  Good  news,  Excellency  ! "  he  said.    "  I  have  found  them  ! " 

"  Found  them  ?  " 

Dr.  Haworth's  face  indicated  the  profoundest  satisfaction,  and  he 
exclaimed  : 

"  I  knew  you  would  never  stop  if  you  were  once  on  their  track, 
Jean  ! " 

"  Well,  the  trouble  was  to  get  on  the  track,"  said  the  young  man 
with  his  bright  smile.  "  There's  no  great  merit  in  running  down  a 
fox  if  you  can  only  start  him — it  is  a  mere  question  of  speed  and 
bottom.  I  have  found  our  two  foxes — male  and  female — at  last !  " 

"  Tell  me  everything  !    How  did  you  find  them  ?  " 

"  Well,  your  Excellency  gave  me  an  old  hound  to  lead.  After 
you  told  me  everything  I  went  straight  to  Dr.  Seabright.  He  is  the 
hound ! " 

"  Dr.  Seabright  ?  " 

"  You  have  set  him  on  fire  in  this  business.  He  thinks  of  noth 
ing  else.  I  can't  explain  it." 

"  Mr.  Ducis  was  his  dearest  friend  !  " 

"  Well,  now  I  understand  everything.  I  did  not  understand  be 
fore.  I  knew  enough  though,  from  what  you  told  me  of  your  talk 
with  him,  that  he  was  with  us  heart  and  soul." 

"  You  went  straight  to  him,  you  say  ?  " 


XETUKrfS   WlTfJ   GOOD  NEWS. 

"  As  soon  as  I  left  you.  You  know  I  had  worked  by  myselt 
without  finding  out  anything.  I  suppose  I  have  been  at  that  house 
in  the  hills  twenty  times  if  I  have  been  once.  Nothing  there. 
Every  door  and  window  shut,  not  even  that  cur  dog  in  the  kennel. 
There  were  no  foot-prints,  no  wheel  tracks,  and  I  could  see  through 
a  chink  in  the  shutter  that  everything  was  just  as  it  always  was — 
the  tub  and  stool,  and  even  the  frying-pan.  They  had  got  off  be 
tween  sundown  and  sunrise,  as  the  country  people  say,  and  had  not 
had  time  to  take  the  least  thing  with  them." 

"  They  were  warned  during  the  night  probably.  But  Dr.  Sea- 
bright—?  " 

"  I  am  coming  to  the  Doctor,  Excellency.  He's  a  curious  old 
fellow.  When  I  walked  in  he  growled  out,  '  Who  are  you  f  '  I 
said,  '  I  am  Jean  Baptiste.'  He  growled  again,  '  Don't  know  you  ! 
Who  are  you,  I  say,  and  what  do  you  want  ? '  I  looked  at  him  and 
took  his  measure — mangrove  fruit  with  sharp  prickles  but  sweet 
and  full  of  juice  that  makes  good  wine !  So  I  said,  '  I  am  Dr.  Ha- 
worth's  secretary,  though  he  is  so  good  to  me  that  I  am  more  like 
his  son,  and  I  have  come  to  ask  you  to  help  me  to  find  Job  Wilkins 
and  his  wife.'  " 

"  To  the  point !  " 

"  Yes — it  is  the  best  way  I  think  with  men  like  the  Doctor." 

"  You  are  right.    Well  ?  " 

"  The  words  made  him  look  around  quickly,  for  he  was  about  to 
turn  his  back  on  me.  Then  he  bored  me  through  with  his  eyes. 
'  Come  in  here,'  he  said,  and  then  he  went  and  shut  the  door  and 
put  me  through  a  course  of  questions.  I  could  see  that  he  meant 
to  satisfy  himself  that  I  was  what  I  said  I  was — and  in  ten  minutes 
he  had  no  doubt  about  it.  Then  he  leaned  back  in  his  arm-chair, 
knit  his  brows  and  said  nothing.  At  last  he  got  up  and  said :  '  I 
am  going  to  ride — you  might  be  going  in  the  same  direction.'  You 
see  he  had  made  up  his  mind  to  hunt  in  the  pack,  Excellency." 

"Yes." 

"  Well,  we  rode  to  the  hill  country  south  of  this,  and  Dr.  Sea- 
bright  stopped  at  about  a  dozen  houses.  I  held  his  horse,  and  he 
did  not  stay  long.  Nothing — .  I  could  see  that  by  the  expression 
of  his  face  when  he  came  out.  At  last  we  came  to  a  cabin,  about 
twenty  miles  from  here,  and  Dr.  Seabright  staid  there  longer.  All 
the  people  he  had  met  knew  him,  I  could  see,  and  you  know  doctors 
|we  always  welcome  with  that  sort — they  bring  the  news,  may  be," 


RETURNS   WITH  GOOD  NEWS. 


155 


"  Yes  !—  well  ?  " 

"  I  saw  as  soon  as  he  had  come  out  of  the  cabin  that  he  had 
heard  something.  I  was  right.  What  he  heard  was  that  Job  Wil- 
kins  and  that  woman  were  at  a  house  ten  miles  west  of  the  hills  — 
hired  there  to  do  farm  work  and  cook.  There  was  no  doubt  about 
it." 

"  You  went  on  ?  " 

"  Without  a  word,  Excellency,  and  came  at  last  in  sight  of  the 
house.  I  then  went  into  the  woods  and  the  Doctor  rode  on.  I 
could  see  him  stop  at  a  field  and  talk  with  a  man  who  was  working. 
They  then  rode  up  to  the  house,  and  after  half  an  hour  Dr.  Sea- 
bright  came  back.  '  Are  you  thirsty  ?  '  he  said  to  me,  looking  at 
me  from  under  his  gray  eyebrows.  '  No,  sir,'  I  said.  '  Well,  if  you 
are  you  can  get  a  drink  of  water  yonder  —  I  did.'  I  looked  at  him  — 
he  was  like  a  bear  who  has  heard  good  news.  '  I  saw  the  woman 
cooking,'  he  said,  '  and  Wilkins  is  not  far  off.  Come  on  home.'  I 
understood  without  another  word.  The  Doctor  was  coming  back 
for  the  warrants  of  arrest." 

"  Yes,  yes  !  "  said  Dr.  Haworth  with  a  flush  on  his  face. 

"  There  was  no  trouble  at  all  about  it.  We  went  straight  to  the 
Sheriff  at  Abbeyville,  who  summoned  Briggs  and  directed  him  to 
produce  the  warrants  you  got  from  Prof.  Lesner.  He  could  not 
find  them  —  they  had  been  intrusted  to  his  deputy  who  was  absent, 
he  said  ;  but  new  warrants  were  at  once  made  out  by  another  mag 
istrate,  and  Briggs  was  obliged  to  go  and  serve  them,  whether  he 
liked  the  business  or  not." 

"  And—!  " 

"  We  all  rode  together  —  Dr.  Seabright,  the  constable  and  my 
self  —  and  took  Wilkins  and  his  wife  by  surprise.  There  was  noth 
ing  for  them  to  do  but  to  come  with  us,  and  they  are  now  in  jail, 
Excellency." 

Dr.  Haworth  listened  with  an  expression  of  the  deepest  satisfac 
tion. 

"  You  are  an  invaluable  ally,  Jean  !  "  he  exclaimed,  "  and  worth 
more  than  all  of  us.  The  arrest  of  these  people  was  a  vital  neces 
sity.  They  were  either  the  murderers  or  the  murderer's  accom 
plices.  A  thorough  examination  of  them  must  result  in  a  discovery 
of  the  real  criminal,  whoever  he  is.  If  one  turns  State's  evidence 
the  case  is  ended." 

"  I  knew  that  —  so  I  meant  to  find  them," 


156  THE  £6M8Sff£LL. 

Dr.  Haworth  grasped  the  boy's  hand  and  said  : 

"  If  you  had  been  my  son  you  could  not  have  done  more  for  me." 

"  You  know  that  all  I  can  do  to  serve  your  Excellency  seems 
little  to  me,"  Jean  said,  simply. 

"  I  know  your  devotion  to  me — I  swear  I  will  prove  mine  to 
you,"  said  Dr.  Haworth. 

"  So  the  man  and  woman  are  in  the  Abbeyville  Jail  ?  " 

"  I  never  left  them  till  I  heard  the  bolts  shut  on  them." 

Dr.  Haworth  drew  a  long  breath,  and  muttered  : 

"  Something  tangible  at  last !  " 

He  then  looked  intently  at  Jean. 

"  You  are  tired,"  he  said.  "  Go  home  and  rest  now.  You  have 
rendered  me  an  invaluable  service,  Jean.  I  repeat  that  I  will  not 
forget  it." 

He  then  walked  back  to  the  house,  and  Jean  returning  on  horse 
back  by  the  front  entrance  rode  to  the  stables  in  rear.  He  had  been 
absent  for  three  days,  but  as  he  frequently  rode  on  business  for  his 
master  his  absence  had  attracted  no  attention. 


VII. 

THE  BOMBSHELL. 

THE  arrest  of  Job  Wilkins  and  his  wife  created  a  great  sensa 
tion  in  Abbeyville.  The  little  town  was  in  commotion,  and  a  thou 
sand  surmises  were  indulged  in.  The  details  were  not  yet  known, 
but  it  was  said  that  they  had  been  arrested  on  the  charge  of  com 
plicity  in  the  murder  of  Mr.  James  Maurice  of  Mauricewood, 
twenty  years  before.  When  the  magistrate  of  the  town,  who  had 
issued  the  warrants,  examined  and  committed  them,  this  rumor 
took  definite  shape. 

Then  animated  discussion  ensued.  There  are  always  people  to 
advocate  both  sides  of  a  question,  for  the  sake  of  argument.  If 
there  is  no  difference  of  opinion  talk  loses  its  savor.  What  is 
wanted  is  controversy,  which  affords  an  opportunity  for  intellectual 
gymnastics. 

Had  not  Mr.  James  Maurice  been  murdered  by  Mr.  Henry 
Ducis  ?  A  jury,  after  hearing  all  the  evidence,  had  so  declared. 
Mr.  Ducis  had  been  a  gentleman  of  the  highest  character  and 


THE  BOMBSHELL.  i$j 

could  never  have  murdered  anybody  ?  Well,  men  of  high  charac 
ter  had  been  known  to  kill  their  fellow-creatures,  and  the  jury  had 
said  that  Mr.  Ducis  killed  Mr.  Maurice. 

Then  there  was  the  question  whether  the  arrest  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Wilkins  was  not  illegal.  Had  they  not  been  tried  once  for  the 
same  offense  and  discharged?  They  had  not  been  tried?  Well, 
they  had  been  examined  and  committed  for  trial,  at  least,  and  that 
was  the  next  thing  to  being  indicted.  And,  moreover,  the  present 
arrest  was  a  hardship.  There  was  a  thing  called  the  statute  of  limi 
tations  which  barred  the  recovery  of  money  after  the  lapse  of  a  cer 
tain  time.  The  theory  was  that  the  claim  could  not  be  disproved 
in  all  cases.  Why  not  apply  that  to  so  serious  a  question  as  a 
man's  life  ? 

There  was  a  great  deal  of  excitement  and  discussion  in  the  bor 
ough,  and  then  another  vague  report  began  to  creep  about — how, 
no  one  could  tell.  Another  person,  much  higher  in  the  social  scale 
than  Wilkins  and  his  wife,  was  said  to  be  mixed  up  with  this  mys 
terious  affair.  It  was  not  known  who  he  was — but  he  was  a  citizen 
of  the  county.  Beyond  this  there  was  not  even  a  rumor — but  the 
nameless  person  was  the  topic  of  conversation  everywhere  under  the 
convenient  designation  of  Mr.  Whoever  He  Is. 

The  County  Court  was  to  meet  in  about  ten  days,  when  Wilkins 
and  his  wife  were  to  be  indicted  and  tried  for  complicity  in  the 
Mauricewood  murder.  Dr.  Haworth  had  formally  identified  himself 
with  the  case  as  the  informant.  Having  been  closeted  for  three 
hours  with  the  attorney  for  the  Commonwealth,  he  came  out, 
mounted  his  horse,  and  rode  back  to  Mauricewood,  where  he  re 
mained  quietly  waiting. 

What  Dr.  Haworth  was  probably  waiting  for  was  the  next  move 
of  his  real  adversary.  It  was  impossible  that  Col.  Ross  had  re 
mained  ignorant  of  the  arrest  of  Wilkins  and  the  woman,  since  it 
had  been  announced  in  the  "  Abbeyville  Gazette."  At  the  end  of 
the  paragraph  recording  the  arrest  the  editor  had  added  : 

"  There  was  a  report  yesterday  that  other  persons  will  be  ar 
rested  as  accomplices  in  the  murder  of  Mr.  James  Maurice.  Among 
them  there  is  said  to  be  a  prominent  citizen  of  this  county,  though 
no  person  to  whom  we  have  applied  for  information  can  even  sug 
gest  his  name.  The  matter  is  mentioned  only  as  a  rumor,  and  for 
no  more  than  it  is  worth." 

§o  mysterious  an  intimation  necessarily  excited  curiosity,  and 


158  THE  BOMBSHELL. 

when  the  curiosity  of  a  community  is  aroused  it  is  apt  to  be  soon 
gratified.  If  not  legitimately,  then  illegitimately.  The  name  of 
some  one  will  be  found  to  fill  the  hiatus  in  the  record — the  aching 
void  which  tortures.  It  was  therefore  probable  that  the  name  of 
Col.  Ross  would  sooner  or  later  be  uttered  by  somebody — that  he 
would  be  driven  to  bay.  Then  he  would  strike  and  strike  heavily,  if 
he  could — perhaps  he  would  strike  in  advance.  Dr.  Haworth  said 
this  to  himself,  and  the  event  proved  that  he  had  accurately  esti 
mated  his  dangerous  adversary. 

Suddenly  a  bombshell  exploded  at  Mauricewood. 

One  evening  the  family  were  assembled  in  the  drawing-room, 
and  Dr.  Haworth  and  Mr.  Tim  Maurice  were  engaged  in  a  game 
of  chess.  Miss  Gary  and  her  mother  were  seated  in  front  of  a  cheer 
ful  blaze,  as  the  nights  were  growing  a  little  cool — the  young  lady 
crocheting  and  Mrs.  Maurice  tranquilly  knitting  and  smiling  sweet 
ly,  as  was  her  habit.  It  was  difficult  to  say  which  of  these  two 
charming  persons  was  the  more  attractive— the  girl  just  budding 
into  womanhood  with  her  rosy  cheeks  and  artless  lips,  or  the  still 
beautiful  mother,  a  little  pale,  but  smiling  with  her  air  of  exquisite 
sweetness  and  tranquillity. 

All  were  thus  engaged  when  a  servant  brought  in  the  mail-bag. 
The  trains  had  become  tardy  of  late,  and  Mr.  Tim  Maurice  often 
maligned  the  railroad  and  threatened  to  denounce  it  in  the  "  Abbey- 
ville  Gazette." 

"  Well,  here  is  the  mail  at  last,"  he  exclaimed,  "  and  we  can 
finish  our  game,  Doctor,  after  looking  at  it." 

He  took  the  bag  and  emptied  it  on  the  table.  It  contained  a 
magazine,  two  or  three  newspapers  and  a  single  letter — for  Mrs. 
Maurice. 

"  For  you,  my  dear,"  said  Uncle  Tim,  looking  at  it.  "  I  think  I 
recognize  Col.  Ross*  hand." 

He  gave  her  the  letter,  and  she  took  it,  saying  as  she  opened  it : 

"  A  letter  from  Col.  Ross — to  me  ?  " 

"  It  certainly  is  not  to  me,  as  my  name  is  Timothy  and  not 
Ellen,"  said  Uncle  Tim,  "  and  now,  Doctor,  as  the  papers  can  wait, 
suppose  we  finish  our  game — I  am  going  to  check-mate  you." 

Mrs  Maurice  had  in  the  meanwhile  opened  the  letter  and  was 
reading  it. 

"  What  on  earth  has  he  to  say,  mamma  ?  "  said  Miss  Cary,  laugh 
ing  quietly. 


THE  BOMBSHELL. 


159 


Mrs.  Maurice  did  not  reply.  Her  face  had  suddenly  changed 
color. 

"  Mamma ! — you  are  not  well !     What  is  the  matter  ?  " 

"I — I — a  slight  giddiness,"  said  Mrs.  Maurice,  rising.  "I  will 
soon  recover  from  it.  A  glass  of  water — " 

"  Let  me  get  it,  mamma !  "    Gary  said,  rising  quickly. 

"  It  is  not  necessary,"  said  Mrs.  Maurice  quietly.  "  Keep  your 
seat,  my  dear.  My  giddiness  is  over  already.  This  note  is  on  a 
matter  of  business  which  I  will  tell  you  of — I  will  go  up-stairs  and 
lie  down  for  a  few  minutes." 

"  Let  me  come  with  you,  mamma !  " 

"  No,  dear — I  will  be  back  in  a  few  moments." 

Gary  and  the  gentlemen  looked  at  the  speaker  inquiringly,  but 
her  face  was  quite  tranquil  now  and  the  smile  had  returned  to  it. 

"  Keep  your  seat,  dear,"  she  said  to  Gary.    "  I  will  soon  return." 

She  then  went  up-stairs  to  her  chamber.  A  cheerful  fire  was 
burning  on  the  brass  andirons,  sending  flashes  through  the  lace 
window  curtains  and  lighting  up  the  portrait  of  Mr.  John  Maurice. 
Gary's  bed  was  near  her  mother's,  and  as  it  was  lower  than  her  own 
Mrs.  Maurice  lay  down  upon  it,  covering  her  face  and  trembling 
slightly. 

She  then  rose,  lit  the  candle  in  the  silver  candlestick  on  the 
small  center-table,  and  seating  herself  in  an  arm-chair,  finished  the 
perusal  of  her  letter. 

The  letter  was  from  Col.  Ross,  and  in  the  following  words : 

"WASHINGTON,  November  20,  1880. 
"  My  dear  Mrs.  Maurice : 

"  There  are  some  duties  so  painful  that  we  are  apt  to  wonder 
why  an  evil  fate  should  impose  them  upon  us.  Something  has  re 
cently  come  to  my  knowledge  which  has  occasioned  me  the  utmost 
concern,  and  I  find  myself  under  the  distressing  necessity  of  com 
municating  it  to  you.  Believe  me  I  do  so  with  the  very  greatest 
reluctance.  I  shrink  from  writing  what  I  am  about  to  write,  but  I 
am  very  sincerely  your  friend  under  all  circumstances,  and  it  is  ab 
solutely  necessary  that  you  should  be  notified  of  a  matter  of  painful 
personal  interest  to  yourself  and  your  family. 

"  You  will  perceive  that  I  approach  the  subject  with  reluctance. 
I  am  aware  how  much  pain  you  will  feel.  I  wish  some  one  else 
had  the  duty  imposed  upon  him  of  informing  you.  It  is  imposed 
on  me  by  the  circumstances,  and  I  am  obliged  to  tell  you  with  th$ 


160  THE  BOMBSHELL. 

sincerest  regret  that  your  marriage  to  your  late  husband,  Mr.  John 
Maurice,  took  place  before  the  death  of  his  first  wife  in  South 
America, 

"  This  distressing  fact  only  recently  came  to  my  knowledge,  and 
I  at  once  resolved  to  return  home  and  communicate  everything  to 
you  in  a  private  interview.  I  am,  however,  detained  here  for  a  few 
days  longer  as  a  witness  before  the  Foreign  Committee,  and  am 
compelled  to  write.  The  circumstance  alluded  to  was  discovered 
by  a  commissioner  at  Lima  who  has  been  engaged  in  auditing  the 
accounts  of  the  Peruvian  Guano  and  Nitrate  Association.  It  ap 
pears  that  Mr.  John  Maurice  during  his  residence  at  Lima  pur 
chased  an  interest  in  the  nitrate  stock,  and  upon  his  marriage  with 
a  French  lady  settled  the  stock  upon  her  as  her  separate  property. 
As  no  claimant  for  the  stock  or  dividends  had  appeared  for  many 
years,  the  commissioner,  it  seems,  investigated  the  matter,  and  found 
that  Mrs.  Maurice  had  died  a  few  months  after  her  marriage.  The 
date  of  her  death  was  ascertained  from  the  mortuary  register  in  the 
Desemparados  Church  and  Parish,  and  is  given  in  the  report  as 
October  10,  1860.  As  your  own  marriage,  I  believe,  took  place  in 
May  of  the  same  year,  the  painful  question  arises  whether  or  not  it 
was  valid. 

"  Do  not,  I  beg,  understand  me  to  intimate  for  a  single  moment 
that  Mr.  John  Maurice  was  aware  that  his  first  wife  was  living  at 
the  date  of  his  second  marriage.  I  am  satisfied  that  he  was  not. 
There  had  been  a  misunderstanding  between  them,  I  believe,  and 
they  had  separated.  He  returned  to  the  United  States,  and  must 
have  been  convinced  of  her  death,  on  what  grounds  I  am  unable  to 
state,  but  I  am  sure  that  he  was  convinced  of  it. 

"  I  have  to  add,  my  dear  Mrs.  Maurice,  the  disheartening  cir 
cumstance  that  the  fact  I  have  stated  is  included  in  the  commission 
er's  public  report  now  before  the  Foreign  Committee.  I  can  only 
say,  as  a  personal  friend,  that  I  am  by  no  means  certain  that  the 
date  is  correctly  stated.  I  sincerely  trust  that  it  is  an  error — that 
the  first  Mrs.  Maurice  died  in  October  preceding  not  following  your 
own  marriage.  The  question  is  very  painful,  since  if  the  commis 
sioner  is  correct  you  were  never  married  to  Mr.  Maurice. 

"  I  terminate  this  long  letter  by  saying  that  on  seeing  the  com 
missioner's  report  I  promptly  telegraphed  to  Lima  to  test  the  accu 
racy  of  the  date  by  an  examination  of  the  mortuary  register.  As 
my  telegram  was  sent  two  or  three  weeks  since  I  expect  to  receive 


MR.  TIM  MAURICE  IS  OUTRAGED,  BUT  RESIGNED.  161 

the  necessary  documents  at  any  moment  by  mail.     The  reply  to  my 
cable  telegram  was  undecipherable. 

"  I  shall  return  home  in  a  few  days,  and  as  soon  as  I  arrive  shall 
do  myself  the  honor  of  calling  upon  you,  and  trust  it  will  then  be 
in  my  power  to  furnish  you  with  conclusive  documentary  proof  that 
the  first  Mrs.  Maurice  died  before  your  marriage. 
"  With  high  respect, 

"  Your  faithful  servant, 

"FERDINAND   ROSS." 

Mrs.  Maurice  read  this  letter  carefully  through  with  a  heaving 
bosom. 

When  she  had  finished  reading  it  she  rested  her  forehead  on  her 
hand,  and  a  tear  rolled  down  her  cheek. 

"  It  is  a  falsehood  ! "  she  said,  in  a  stifled  voice.  "  That  man 
has  invented  it ! " 

She  looked  at  the  letter  once  more.  The  italicised  line  caught 
her  eye — "  before  the  death  of  his  first  wife  in  South  Amer 
ica." 

"  It  is  false !  false ! "  she  exclaimed,  raising  her  head  with  a 
quick  flash  of  the  eye. 

Then  she  looked  up  at  the  portrait  of  her  husband,  which  was 
smiling  at  her,  and  said,  sobbing : 

"  I  know  it  is  false,  John  ! " 


VIII. 

MR.  TIM  MAURICE  IS  OUTRAGED,   BUT  RESIGNED. 

MR.  TIMOTHY  MAURICE  was  walking  up  and  down  the  ve 
randa  on  the  morning  after  the  reception  of  Col.  Ross'  letter — the 
victim  of  curiosity  and  apparently,  also,  of  jealousy. 

For  the  first  time  his  niece,  Mrs.  Maurice,  was  concealing  some 
thing  from  him,  and  what  made  the  fact  more  aggravating  was  at 
that  very  moment  in  private  conversation  with  another  person. 

This  person  was  Dr.  Haworth.  Mrs.  Maurice  had  made  her 
appearance  at  breakfast  with  a  composed  if  not  serene  expression 
of  countenance,  and  had  not  referred  to  the  letter.  Nothing,  there 
fore,  was  said  in  regard  to  it  by  any  member  of  the  little  circle,  since 


MR.    TIM  MAURICE  IS   OUTRAGED, 

all  understood  that  the  gentle  and  dignified  lady  had  her  own  rea 
sons  for  not  discussing  it  at  the  time. 

Uncle  Tim  had  waited  and  deferred  his  ride  to  be  informed  on 
the  subject.  Mrs.  Maurice  had  not,  however,  signified  any  desire 
to  have  a  private  interview  with  him — on  the  contrary  she  had 
quietly  requested  Dr.  Haworth  to  come  into  the  drawing-room  for 
a  moment. 

He  had  followed  her  thither  and  the  door  had  closed  on  them  in 
the  very  face  of  Mr.  Tim  Maurice.  What  did  it  mean  ? 

The  worthy  Mr.  Maurice  was  very  far  from  being  a  jealous  or 
suspicious  individual,  but  then  some  things  will  mortify  the  best  of 
us.  He  was  extremely  fond  of  Dr.  Haworth  and  adored  his  niece 
— but  why  had  not  he  been  consulted  instead  of  the  Doctor,  who 
was  nearly  a  stranger ! 

He  could  catch  glimpses  of  them  through  the  window  in  earnest 
conversation.  The  matter  was  evidently  important.  What  could 
it  be? 

It  had  been  quite  plain  to  Mr.  Tim  Maurice  for  some  time  that 
his  niece  and  Dr.  Haworth  "  understood  each  other."  Something 
had  probably  passed  between  them  on  the  day  following  Gary's  fall 
from  horseback,  involving  more  than  the  simple  demand  of  the  young 
lady's  hand  in  marriage.  This  something  was  unknown  to  the  male 
head  of  the  household,  but  it  had  plainly  established  confidential  re 
lations  between  the  lady  and  their  guest. 

Was  the  present  business  connected  with  that,  and  was  Mrs. 
Maurice  consulting  Dr.  Haworth  in  reference  to  the  letter  from  Col. 
Ross? 

Having  scowled  with  the  air  of  a  conspirator  at  this  unheard  of 
preference  of  a  stranger's  advice.  Uncle  Tim  burst  out  laughing, 
mounted  his  horse,  and  went  to  take  his  morning  ride. 

When  he  came  back  he  found  Dr.  Haworth  seated  on  the  ve 
randa,  as  the  day  was  pleasant,  reading  the  "  Psychology  of  Opium." 
He  sat  down  opposite  with  a  cheery  smile  on  his  face  and  said : 

"  Well,  what  were  you  and  the  madam  consulting  about,  Doc 
tor?" 

"  About  the  letter  received  last  night.  Mrs.  Maurice  will  inform 
you  of  its  contents  herself,"  said  Dr.  Haworth. 

"  Hum !  She  tells  you  about  it  first,  and  I  have  been  bitterly 
jealous  all  the  morning.  Nothing  disagreeable,  I  hope. " 

"  J  hope  not,"  said  Dr.  Haworth,  in  a  matter-of-fact  manner. 


MR.  TIM  MAURICE  IS  OUTRAGED,  BUT  RESIGNED.  163 

"  Something  about  Gary,  I  suppose.  He  had  better  give  up  that 
matter,  don't  you  think  so,  Doctor  ?  " 

And  Uncle  Tim  laughed  in  a  significant  manner. 

"  He  is  distanced  in  the  race ! "  he  added,  "  and  I  don't  mind 
saying  I  am  glad  of  it.  The  Colonel  is  a  gentleman,  of  course,  as 
his  father  was  before  him,  but  his  manners  are — well,  too  var 
nished" 

"  He  is  a  man  of  the  world,  no  doubt." 

"  I  have  known  many,  and  the  best  company  is  not  varnished,  as 
I  call  it ;  it  is  simple  and  natural.  I  know  a  gentleman  when  I  see 
him.  His  origin  is  not  so  important.  To  be  a  gentleman  is  the 
main  thing.  The  stupid  pretense  of  this  age  is  that  the  sneak  and 
the  hero  are  alike — one  as  good  as  the  other,  and,  faith !  a  great  deal 
better ! " 

Having  thus  unburdened  his  mind,  Uncle  Tim  said : 

"  You  were  reading  that  curious  book,  I  see." 

"Yes." 

"  Do  you  like  it  ?  " 

"  I  cannot  say  that  I  fancy  it  much.  The  author  is  a  gross  ma 
terialist,  and  yet  he  professes  to  have  a  religion." 

"  What  is  it  ?    I  have  only  read  a  few  pages." 

"  He  calls  it  The  Religion  of  Humanity." 

"  A  handsome  phrase,  at  least.    What  does  it  mean  ?  " 

"  It  means  anything  you  choose.  What  it  does  not  mean  is 
faith,  as  you  and  I  understand  the  term.  Hatred  of  Christianity 
is  about  the  sum  of  it,  but  as  the  writer  thinks  by  the  aid  of  opium, 
his  ideas  are  a  little  mystified.  It  is  rather  an  unpleasant  book,  but 
may  convey  an  unjust  impression  of  the  real  character  of  the  writer." 

Dr.  Haworth  laid  the  "  Psychology  of  Opium  "  on  the  seat  beside 
him  and  rose. 

"  I  am  going  to  Abbeyville  for  an  hour,"  he  said.  "  I  see  my 
horse  is  ready.  I  will  return  before  dinner." 

"  Something  more  to  be  done  in  that  affair  ?  " 

"  Nothing." 

"  No  new  developments  ?  " 

"  I  believe  not." 

"  And  you  still  think  you  will  be  able  to  fix  the  guilt  of  my  poor 
brother's  murder  upon  the  man  or  woman  ?  " 

"  I  think  so." 

Uncle  Tim  sighed. 


1 64 


DR.   HA  WORTH  HEARS  FROM   COL.   XOSS. 


"  We  have  said  so  much  on  the  subject,  Doctor,  that  it  is  useless 
to  say  more.  These  people  may  or  may  not  be  guilty.  But  I  sup 
pose  you  have  heard  the  rumor.  It  is  said  now  that  some  other  per 
son  was  concerned  in  the  affair — a  man  of  prominence.  Who  on 
earth  can  be  meant  ?  " 

"  I  will  answer  that  question,  my  dear  Mr.  Maurice,  on  my  return 
from  Abbeyville,  where  I  think  I  will  find  a  letter,"  said  Dr.  Ha- 
worth. 


IX. 

DR.  HAWORTH  HEARS  FROM  COL.  ROSS. 

WHEN  Dr.  Haworth  said  that  he  expected  to  find  a  letter  await 
ing  him  at  Abbeyville,  he  meant  a  letter  from  Col.  Ross. 

He  had  no  difficulty  whatever  in  reading  between  the  lines  of 
Col.  Ross'  letter  to  Mrs.  Maurice.  What  it  meant  was  simply  this : 

"  I  am  about  to  be  prosecuted  as  principal  or  accomplice  in  the 
murder  of  James  Maurice.  If  the  prosecution  is  not  arrested,  I  will 
proclaim  to  the  world  that  you  were  never  married  to  John  Maurice, 
since  he  had  a  wife  at  the  time  in  South  America.  You  were  not, 
therefore,  his  wife,  and  your  daughter  is  not  his  lawful  offspring.  If 
the  prosecution  is  promptly  stopped  evidence  will  be  produced  to 
show  that  John  Maurice's  first  wife  died  before  your  marriage.  If 
it  is  not  stopped  the  evidence  will  show  that  she  died  after  your 
marriage.  Choose ! " 

This  had  been  quite  plain  to  Dr.  Haworth  when  he  had  read 
the  letter.  Mrs.  Maurice  had  laid  it  before  him  in  the  drawing-room 
and  said  :  "  What  shall  I  do  ?  It  is  a  falsehood  and  a  gross  out 
rage."  And  Dr.  Haworth  had  simply  said  at  the  end  of  the  inter 
view,  "  Let  us  wait." 

Whether  Col.  Ross  had  or  had  not  ulterior  views  involving  a 
more  daring  scheme  would  soon  be  known.  Meanwhile,  as  it  must 
now  be  obvious  that  he,  Dr.  Haworth,  was  the  mainspring  of  all,  it 
was  nearly  certain  that  Col.  Ross  would  open  a  correspondence  also 
with  him. 

He  was  not  at  all  mistaken.  There  was  a  letter  for  him  at  the 
Abbeyville  office.  He  put  it  in  his  pocket  without  opening  it; 
stopped  at  the  telegraph  office  and  conversed  in  a  friendly  manner 
With  the  young  operator,  inquiring  if  there  was  a  dispatch  from 


DR.   HA  WORTH  HEARS  FROM  COL.  ROSS.        ^5 

Lima ;  ascertained  that  there  was  none,  and  returned  in  the  direc 
tion  of  Mauricewood. 

On  the  way  he  opened  the  letter.  It  was  from  Col.  Ross,  as  he 
had  seen  from  the  direction,  and  contained  these  words,  written  in 
the  same  bold  hand  as  the  letter  to  Mrs.  Maurice : 

WASHINGTON,  November  21,  1880. 

GEN.  HAWORTH — SIR  :  I  am  informed  that  an  outrageous  im 
putation  has  been  made  upon  my  character,  namely,  that  I  was  cog 
nizant  of  the  intent  to  murder  Mr.  James  Maurice,  of  Mauricewood, 
and  that  you  are  the  author  of  this  gross  charge.  The  object  of  this 
communication  is  to  notify  you  that  I  shall  hold  you  personally  re 
sponsible.  I  shall  return  immediately  to  meet  this  secret  attempt  of 
a  personal  enemy  to  destroy  my  character.  I  confess  myself  igno 
rant  what  object  you  have  in  view,  and  what  motive  prompts  you. 
That  is  your  affair,  sir.  You  have  presumed  to  circulate  or  author 
ize  the  circulation  of  these  monstrous  imputations  on  my  good  name, 
and  I  know  in  what  manner  to  seek  for  redress. 

Your  obedient  servant, 

FERDINAND  Ross. 

Having  read  this  letter,  Dr.  Haworth  folded  it  up,  put  it  in  his 
pocket  and  rode  on  slowly,  with  a  grim  smile  on  his  lips. 

"  A  cool  hand,"  he  muttered,  "  and  the  master  of  a  flowing  style. 
The  only  trouble  is  he  is  a  knave ;  he  may  have  been  a  gentleman 
once,  but  that  was  some  time  ago.  Well,  I  am  glad  he  is  going  to 
make  fight.  It  suits  me  a  great  deal  better  than  to  have  him  ab 
scond,  which  would  be  unfortunate." 

For  more  than  a  quarter  of  an  hour  Dr.  Haworth  rode  on  slowly 
in  deep  reflection.  Then  he  said : 

"  I  wonder  if  he  is  really  daring  enough  for  that  ? — to  demand 
Cary  as  the  price  of  his  silence,  as  well  as  the  suppression  of  the 
prosecution.  If  he  tries  that — well,  I  should  lose  my  patience,  I 
think  !  I  wonder  if  he  has  the  nerve  ?  " 

Three  days  afterward  this  question  was  answered.  The  "  Abbey- 
ville  Gazette  "  of  that  morning  contained  the  following  item  of  per 
sonal  intelligence : 

"  Our  popular  countyman,  Col.  Ross,  returned  last  night  from 
Washington.  He  has  been  absent  some  time  as  a  witness  before 
a  committee  to  examine  Peruvian  claims." 


1 66  COL.   ROSS   VTS7TS  MRS.    M 'A  UR ICE. 

Mr.  Tim  Maurice  had  noticed  this  item,  and  looked  around  for 
some  member  of  the  family  to  communicate  it  to — but  none  were  to 
be  seen.  Mrs.  Maurice  and  Gary  were  up-stairs,  and  Dr.  Haworth 
had  ridden  out.  Therefore  Mr.  Tim  Maurice  put  the  paper  in  his 
pocket,  mounted  his  horse,  and  went  to  make  his  tour  of  inspection 
on  the  estate. 


X. 

COL.  ROSS  VISITS  MRS.   MAURICE. 

MRS.  MAURICE  was  in  her  chamber  with  Gary,  who  was  read 
ing  to  her,  when  a  maid  servant  came  and  informed  her  that  Col. 
Ross  was  in  the  drawing-room. 

At  this  information  Mrs.  Maurice  betrayed  a  little  agitation,  and 
said  to  the  maid : 

"  Say  that  I  will  be  down  in  a  moment." 

"  What  does  he  want,  mamma  ?  "  said  Gary,  looking  at  her 
mother  and  feeling  vaguely  that  something  more  than  a  morning  call 
was  meant  by  Col.  Ross'  visit. 

"  He  wishes  to  see  me  on  business,"  replied  Mrs.  Maurice,  with 
a  slight  tremor  in  her  voice.  "  It  will  not  take  very  long,  my  dear." 

"  Let  me  go  down  with  you,  mamma  ?  " 

But  Mrs.  Maurice  shook  her  head. 

"That  would  not  be  proper,"  she  said.  "Col.  Ross  has  not 
asked  for  you.  I  had  rather  you  would  remain  here," 

.Mrs.  Maurice  was  an  exceedingly  gentle  person,  but  when  she 
spoke  in  a  certain  tone  the  members  of  her  family  never  replied 
Gary  resumed  her  seat,  wondering  what  Col.  Ross'  letter  and  visit 
meant ;  and  Mrs.  Maurice,  glancing  in  the  mirror  to  assure  herself 
that  her  toilet  was  proper  for  the  reception  of  a  visitor,  went  down 
stairs. 

Col.  Ross  was  seated  in  the  drawing-room.  At  her  entrance  he 
rose  and  bowed  with  an  air  of  the  deepest  respect — his  face  was  a 
little  flushed.  Mrs.  Maurice,  slightly  inclining  her  head,  sat  down 
opposite  to  him.  She  was  somewhat  pale,  but  otherwise  exhibited 
no  emotion. 

"  You  received  my  letter,  I  trust,  madam  ?  "  said  Col.  Ross,  re 
suming  his  seat  and  speaking  with  some  emotion. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  was  the  reply  of  Mrs.  Maurice  in  a  low  voice. 


COL.  ROSS  VISITS  MRS.  MAURICE.  167 

"  It  was  exceedingly  painful  to  me  to  be  obliged  to  write  it.  The 
intelligence  conveyed  in  it  was  a  complete  surprise  to  me.  I  had 
never  imagined  such  a  thing  before  looking  at  the  commissioner's 
report." 

Mrs.  Maurice  made  no  reply.  She  was  leaning  back  in  her  arm 
chair,  with  her  head  bent  forward  a  little  and  looking  at  him. 

"  I  knew  Mr.  John  Maurice  in  South  America,  as  you  are  proba 
bly  aware,  madam,"  continued  Col.  Ross  in  the  same  tone  of  re 
spect. 

"  I  was  aware  of  it,  sir,"  said  Mrs.  Maurice. 

"  I  also  knew,  of  course,  that  he  had  married  in  Lima,  but  under 
stood  that  his  wife  had  died  soon  after  his  return  to  the  United 
States.  It  was  only  the  other  day  that  the  painful  fact  came  to  my 
knowledge  that  this  was  altogether  a  mistake ;  that  the  lady  was 
still  living  when — it  is  really  too  painful  for  me  to  finish  my  sentence, 
madam." 

"  When  we  were  married,  you  mean,  sir  ?  "  Mrs.  Maurice  spoke 
in  a  very  low  tone. 

"  Unfortunately,  the  commissioner's  report  seems  to  establish 
that  fact,  madam.  I  am  afraid  there  is  no  ground  to  discredit  it. 
The  official  who  prepared  it  had,  of  course,  no  object  in  falsifying 
the  statement.  His  authority  was  the  mortuary  register  of  the 
church  parish  in  which  Mrs.  Maurice  died." 

"  At  Lima,  sir  ?  "  murmured  Mrs.  Maurice. 

"  Yes,  madam.  Mr.  Maurice  met  his  wife  there,  and  they  con 
tinued  to  live  in  the  city  after  his  marriage.  I  can  state  this  of  my 
personal  knowledge,  though  I  am  sorry  to  say  I  had  but  a  limited 
intercourse  with  him.  I  was  an  officer  of  the  navy,  and  my  ship 
was  stationed  at  Callao ;  and  another  circumstance  was  an  obstacle 
to  our  familiar  intercourse." 

"  Another  circumstance,  sir  ?  " 

"  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  Mr.  Maurice  and  myself  had  become  un 
friendly.  A  very  few  words  will  explain  the  origin  of  this  interrup 
tion  of  our  friendly  relations.  Mrs.  Maurice  was  a  young  lady  of 
the  opera — a  troupe  had  visited  Lima — and  was  much  admired. 
After  her  marriage  with  Mr.  Maurice  he  objected  to  the  attentions 
still  paid  to  her  by  some  of  her  old  friends,  myself  among  the  rest 
— attentions  perfectly  respectful  on  my  part — and  I  regret  to  say  I 
had  a  personal  rencounter  with  him.  He  may  have  mentioned  it  to 
you." 


X68  COL.   ROSS   VISITS  MRS.   MAURICE. 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  I  trust  his  statement  and  my  own  on  the  subject  do  not  con 
flict.  I  have  endeavored  to  make  my  own  strictly  accurate.  As  my 
ship  was  sent  on  a  cruise  I  remained  ignorant  of  his  subsequent 
movements.  When  I  came  back  I  heard  that  he  had  returned  to 
the  United  States." 

Col.  Ross  looked  respectfully  and  with  some  feeling  at  Mrs. 
Maurice. 

"  This  is  absolutely  all  I  knew,  madam,  until  the  other  day,"  he 
continued.  "  I  was  at  home,  you  may  probably  remember,  just 
before  his  marriage  to  yourself — I  was  absent,  however,  at  the  pre 
cise  time,  as  I  was  forced  to  join  my  ship — and  it  certainly  never 
entered  my  head  that  the  first  Mrs.  Maurice  was  living.  She  could 
not  be  divorced,  with  her  own  consent,  at  least,  as  she  was  a  Ro 
man  Catholic ;  and  I  of  course  adopted  the  natural  supposition  that 
she  was  dead." 

"  Yes,  sir,"  said  Mrs.  Maurice  in  a  very  low  voice. 

"  As  soon  as  I  made  the  painful  discovery  mentioned  in  my  let 
ter,  madam,  I  telegraphed  to  Lima.  I  was  utterly  incredulous.  I 
was  quite  certain  that  it  was  a  mere  clerical  error — the  mistake  of  a 
copyist.  Mr.  John  Maurice  I  knew  was  a  man  of  honor ;  if  he  paid 
you  his  addresses  it  was  because  he  had  proof,  I  said  to  myself,  that 
his  first  wife  was  dead.  Unhappily  he  was  mistaken,  madam — fa 
tally  deceived  in  some  manner.  She  was  living." 

"  Living ! "  repeated  Mrs.  Maurice,  not  asking  the  question  by 
the  tone  of  her  voice,  but  uttering  the  fearful  word  as  if  uncon 
sciously. 

"  Unhappily  I  have  proof  that  the  first  Mrs.  Maurice  was  living 
at  Lima  after  the  month  of  May,  1860,  when  your  marriage  to  Mr. 
John  Maurice  took  place  in  this  house." 

Mrs.  Maurice  drew  a  long  breath,  and  her  bosom  heaved. 

"  Proof  ?  "  she  said. 

"  I  will  explain  everything,  my  dear  Mrs.  Maurice,"  said  Col. 
Ross,  bending  forward  and  speaking  in  a  tone  of  some  emotion. 
"  The  statement  in  the  commissioner's  report  amounts  to  nothing — 
it  will  pass  as  a  clerical  error.  The  important,  the  fatal  proof,  is 
the  mortuary  register." 

"  Yes." 

"  I  see  you  are  somewhat  agitated.  I  beg  you  will  dismiss  any 
apprehension,"  said  Col.  Ross.  "  I  alone  know  of  this,  for  I  repeat 


COL.  ROSS  VISITS  MRS.  MAURICE.  169 

that  the  official  report  is  nothing.  A  stroke  of  the  pen  will  correct 
it  as  a  clerical  error — in  the  printed  copies  it  will  pass  as  a  mere 
misprint.  That  is  absolutely  the  only  means ;  it  is  a  little  irregular, 
but  I  promise  you  that  I  will  see  that  it  is  done." 

Mrs.  Maurice  betrayed  slight  agitation,  but  made  no  reply. 

"  The  report  of  the  commissioner  is  not  the  important  point — 
the  official  record  at  Lima  from  which  it  was  taken  was  the  vital 
matter.  Right  or  wrong,  I  directed  my  agent  there  to  obtain  pos 
session  of  the  paper  at  any  risk  or  expense,  and  to  promptly  trans 
mit  it  to  me.  He  obeyed  my  order,  and  on  the  pretext  of  examining 
the  church  register  cut  out  the  leaf  containing  the  record  of  the  first 
Mrs.  Maurice's  death.  I  deeply  regret  to  say  that  the  record  sup 
ports  the  commissioner's  statement.  Mrs.  Antoinette  Maurice  died 
at  Lima  in  the  month  of  October  succeeding  your  marriage  with 
her  husband.  The  entry  was  the  proof  of  the  fact.  Here  is  the 
leaf." 

Col.  Ross  then  took  from  the  breast  pocket  of  his  coat  a  faded 
sheet  of  paper,  yellow  at  the  edges  except  upon  the  left  side,  where 
an  uneven  edge  proved  that  it  had  been  hastily  cut. 

"  This  is  the  proof,"  he  said  ;  "  the  only  proof  in  existence  that 
you  were  not  the  lawful  wife  of  John  Maurice  and  your  daughter 
his  lawful  daughter." 

Mrs.  Maurice  extended  her  hand  to  take  the  paper  and  examine 
it.  But  Col.  Ross  did  not  seem  to  observe  the  gesture.  She  looked 
at  him  and  withdrew  her  hand,  but  said  nothing. 

"  I  am  a  very  unhappy  man,  madam ! "  exclaimed  Col.  Ross  in 
his  deep  voice.  "  I  loved  a  young  lady  who  was  beginning  to  have 
some  regard  for  me  in  her  turn.  I  was  dreaming  of  a  long  life  of 
happiness  with  her,  when  an  unknown  stranger,  a  person  she  does 
not  know,  put  a  sudden  end  to  all  my  hopes !  The  young  lady  re 
jected  my  suit,  and  is  reported  to  encourage  his ;  and  not  content 
with  his  triumph  over  me,  this  same  unknown  stranger  has  set  on 
foot  a  criminal  prosecution  to  destroy  me.  You  are  aware  whom  I 
refer  to,  madam,  to  this  General  or  Dr.  Haworth — a  man  of  doubt 
ful  antecedents,  of  whom  no  one  knows  anything  with  certainty — 
and  you  may  have  been  informed  of  his  last  outrage.  He  has  not 
only  supplanted  me  with  Miss  Maurice — he  has  circulated  the  vile 
slander  that  I  was  cognizant  of  the  design  to  murder  your  fa 
ther!" 

Col.  Ross  spoke  in  a  deep,  even  hoarse,  tone.  He  seemed  to 
8 


ROSS   VISITS  MRS.   MA&RIC&. 

become  aware  of  the  fact  and  made  an  effort  to  soften  his  voice, 
but  without  effect. 

"  I  am  to  be  crushed,  you  see,  madam — I  who  have  wronged  no 
one !  Well,  I  will  not  be  crushed  !  I  am  innocent  as  the  babe  un 
born  of  this  vile  charge,  and  repel  it  with  indignation.  I  have  come 
this  morning  to  say  this,  among  other  things,  though  I  hope  it  is 
unnecessary.  The  real  object  of  my  visit,  I  need  not  say,  was  to 
bring  you  the  leaf  from  the  mortuary  register." 

His  eyes  were  fixed  upon  the  lady  with  an  intense  expression 
now. 

"  Need  I  say  that  I  came  to  deliver  into  your  hands  this  sole 
proof  that  you  were  not  the  wife  of  your  husband  ?  "  he  said. 
"  That  was  my  object." 

Mrs.  Maurice  looked  up. 

"  It  is  yours — at  the  moment  when  it  is  destroyed  there  will  no 
longer  be  the  least  proof  that  you  were  not  the  lawful  wife  of  John 
Maurice." 

Mrs.  Maurice  made  the  least  possible  movement  with  her  head. 

"  There  is  the  fire.  You  have  only  to  reach  out  your  hand  and 
you  will  still  be  Mrs.  John  Maurice,  of  Mauricewood,  your  daughter 
the  heiress  of  the  Maurice  estate." 

Mrs.  Maurice  raised  her  hand  as  if  she  were  about  to  take  the 
paper. 

"  I  attach  only  one  condition — it  is  not  so  much  since  I  save  the 
honor  of  your  family." 

"  One  condition  ?  " 

"  That  the  outrageous  imputations  upon  my  character  will  be 
publicly  disclaimed  by  the  Maurice  family — that  the  person  calling 
himself  Dr.  Haworth  shall  be  requested  to  terminate  his  visit  to  this 
house,  and  that — shall  I  end,  madam  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"That  Miss  Maurice  will  permit  me  to  resume  my  visits  to 
Mauricewood." 

Mrs.  Maurice  shrunk  back  in  her  chair. 

"  The  price  of  your  silence  then  is — Gary's  hand  ?  " 

Col.  Ross  leaned  forward  with  a  glow  on  his  face. 

"  Pardon  my  presumption,"  he  exclaimed.  "  I  knew  that  a  per 
son  of  your  exquisite  refinement  would  shrink  from  my  proposition. 
But  I  have  made  it  in  spite  of  myself,  madam  !  I  love  Miss  Maurice 
with  all  the  strength  of  my  being.  You  may  say  I  am  bargaining 


COL.  ROSS  VISITS  MRS.   MAURICE.  171 

for  her  hand — I  am  not.  I  am  simply  begging  the  poor  boon  of 
not  seeing  it  wrested  away  from  me  !  I  might  have  come  to  you 
like  a  highwayman,  if  I  had  been  a  person  of  that  character,  and 
said  to  you  :  '  You  were  never  the  lawful  wife  of  your  husband — 
your  daughter  was  not  born  in  wedlock — give  me  her  hand — here 
is  the  only  proof  of  your  misfortune — if  you  consent,  take  it  and  de 
stroy  it ! '  I  have  not  meant  to  say  that,  madam.  I  am  not  bar 
gaining  with  you — I  am  only  pleading !  What  I  say  is,  '  Give  me 
the  simple  hope  that  I  may  some  day  obtain  your  daughter's  hand.' 
As  to  this  paper — there  is  the  fire — burn  it !  " 

He  placed  the  paper  on  the  table. 

"  Only  a  word,  madam !  It  is  not  even  a  condition !  There  is 
the  paper — it  is  yours  !  " 

Mrs.  Maurice  made  no  reply,  and  did  not  offer  to  take  the  paper. 

"  Only  a  word — one  word — that  this  prosecution  shall  be  stopped, 
and  the  author  of  it  informed  that  his  presence  in  your  house  is  no 
longer  agreeable  to  you." 

Col.  Ross  spoke  in  a  voice  full  of  emotion,  which  probably  ac 
counted  for  the  fact  that  the  sound  of  footsteps  on  the  veranda  did 
not  attract  his  attention. 

Mrs.  Maurice  turned  her  head.  He  followed  the  direction  of  her 
eyes  and  at  last  distinguished  the  steps.  The  door  of  the  drawing- 
room  then  opened,  and  Dr.  Haworth  came  in. 


PART  IV. 
THE   CRIMINAL   TRIAL  AT   ABBEYVILLE. 


I. 

THE  PAPERS  FROM  LIMA. 

AT  the  appearance  of  Dr.  Haworth,  Col.  Ross  wheeled  and  con 
fronted  him.  His  expression  was  what  is  called  black  and  his  eyes 
flashed. 

"  I  have  the  pleasure  of  meeting  you,  sir,  at  last !  "  he  exclaimed. 

"Yes,"  said  Dr.  Haworth,  looking  grimly  at  the  speaker.  "  You 
will  judge  for  yourself  whether  it  is  a  pleasure  or  not." 

"  I  returned  from  Washington  with  that  object ! " 

"  Well,  you  have  accomplished  it." 

Dr.  Haworth  had  been  looking  around  him.  He  was  appar 
ently  searching  for  something.  He  saw  the  paper  upon  the  table. 

"  Col.  Ross  has  no  doubt  called  on  business,  madam,"  he  said  to 
Mrs.  Maurice.  "  In  the  absence  of  your  uncle,  may  I  ask  as  a 
friend  what  the  business  is  ?  Is  it  connected  with  this  paper  ?  " 

He  went  to  the  table  and  took  up  the  sheet  from  the  register. 

Col.  Ross  made  a  movement  to  prevent  him,  but  he  had  the  pa 
per  in  his  hand. 

"  That  is  a  matter  of  private  business  between  Mrs.  Maurice  and 
myself !  You  have  no  concern  with  it  whatever,  sir !  "  he  cried. 

"  I  venture  to  concern  myself  with  it,  unless  Mrs.  Maurice  objects 
to  my  doing  so,"  replied  Dr.  Haworth. 

"  I  do  not  object  at  all,"  said  Mrs.  Maurice. 

Col.  Ross  measured  his  adversary  from  head  to  foot,  and  seemed 
about  to  attempt  to  tear  the  paper  from  his  hand.  The  prospect  of 
success  did  not  seem  encouraging,  and  turning  suddenly  to  Mrs. 
Maurice,  he  said : 


THE  PAPERS  FROM  LIMA. 


'73 


"  Is  it  possible,  madam,  that  you  will  permit  a  stranger,  a  per 
son  unknown  to  you,  to  meddle  with  your  family  affairs  ?  " 

"  Dr.  Haworth  is  a  friend — he  is  not  a  stranger,"  said  Mrs. 
Maurice. 

"  He  is  my  personal  enemy — an  intruder  on  this  interview  !  I 
demand  possession  of  that  paper,  sir  !  " 

"  And  I  refuse  to  put  you  in  possession  of  it ! "  said  Dr.  Ha 
worth,  placing  the  hand  holding  the  paper  behind  his  back  and  con 
fronting  Col.  Ross. 

For  a  moment  the  two  men  stood  facing  each  other,  one  flush 
ing  with  suppressed  rage,  the  other  cold  and  collected.  Col.  Ross 
then  said : 

"  So  be  it,  sir !  Since  I  am  to  choose  between  a  disgraceful 
scene  in  the  presence  of  a  lady,  or  submission  to  your  insolence,  I 
make  my  choice.  Read  the  paper !  You  may  then  understand 
why  I  objected  to  your  doing  so  without  Mrs.  Maurice's  permis 
sion." 

"  It  is  not  necessary  to  read  it— I  know  its  contents,"  said  Dr. 
Haworth.  "  It  is  the  leaf  of  the  register  at  Lima  containing  the 
entry  of  the  death  of  Mrs.  John  Maurice." 

"  Yes ! " 

"  My  agent  reported  to  me  that  it  had  been  abstracted  from 
the  register.  That  circumstance  is  now  accounted  for." 

"  Well !  Say  that  it  was  abstracted  !  Say  that  I  am  responsi 
ble  for  that  trifling  offense.  If  you  are  aware  of  the  contents  of 
that  paper  without  reading  it,  as  you  say  you  are,  you  are  probably 
aware  also  of  my  object  in  securing  possession  of  it." 

"  I  think  I  am,"  said  Dr.  Haworth. 

"  The  honor  of  the  Maurice  family  was  involved — of  this  lady 
and  her  daughter  !  As  long  as  that  paper  was  in  existence — you 
know  the  consequence,  sir.  You  profess  to  be  a  friend  of  this  fam 
ily — a  friend  of  somewhat  recent  date  !  If  you  are  really  such,  you 
will  understand  why,  as  a  real  friend  and  an  old  one — not  one  of 
yesterday — I  ventured  on  a  step  for  which  I  am  liable  to  a  heavy 
penalty,  to  save  the  honor  of  the  Mauricewood  household  ! " 

Dr.  Haworth  had  not  paid  much  attention  to  these  passionate 
words.  He  was  looking  at  the  paper. 

"  Let  us  leave  this  general  discussion,  sir,"  he  said,  "  and  come 
to  business.  This  is  the  leaf  from  the  Desemparados  death  regis 
ter,  I  see.  Here  is  the  record  of  the  death  of  Marie  Antoinette 


174  THE  PAPERS  FROM  LIMA. 

Maurice,  wife  of  Senor  John  Maurice,  citizen  of  the  United  States, 
and  attache  of  the  North  American  Legation,  formerly  residing  at 
Lima.  The  date  is  October  10,  1860." 

Dr.  Haworth  held  up  the  paper  between  himself  and  the  window. 

"  Mrs.  Maurice  did  not  die  in  the  year  1860,"  he  said. 

"  Do  you  mean,  sir —  ?  " 

"  That  the  date  has  been  altered  ?  Yes ,  and  in  a  hungling 
manner.  You  may  see  for  yourself,  madam,"  he  said,  turning  to 
Mrs.  Maurice  and  holding  the  paper  up  before  her.  "  An  erasure 
is  always  dangerous.  It  produces  unevenness  in  the  thickness  of 
the  paper,  and  the  result  is  greater  transparency.  It  is  easy  to  see 
that  this  document  has  been — improved,  let  us  say.  The  actual 
date  of  Mrs.  Maurice's  death  was  October,  1859,  and  not  1860.  As 
you  were  married  in  May,  1860,  I  need  not  call  your  attention  to 
the  importance  of  the  difference." 

Mrs.  Maurice  had  taken  the  paper  and  was  looking  at  it  against 
the  light. 

"  The  date  has  certainly  been  changed !  "  she  said. 

"  Beyond  any  doubt." 

Col.  Ross  had  been  standing  still.  As  he  spoke  now  the  into 
nation  of  his  voice  indicated  that  his  teeth  were  set  together. 

"  Am  I  to  understand,"  he  said  to  Dr.  Haworth,  "  that  you 
charge  me  with  forger)1 — with  falsifying  that  register  ?  " 

"  It  is  falsified,  and  in  your  possession." 

"  Sir ! — this  outrage !    There  are  limits — ! " 

"Registers  have  been  falsified  in  other  instances — the  cir 
cumstance  occurs.  The  entry  in  another  caused  the  conviction  of 
Mr.  Henry  Ducis  for  the  murder  of  Mr.  James  Maurice." 

Col.  Ross  had  blushed  with  rage  ;  at  these  words  his  face  grew 
a  little  white. 

"The  fate  of  Mr.  Ducis  hinged  upon  the  proof  of  an  alibi," 
said  Dr.  Haworth,  "  and  that  depended  upon  the  entry  in  a  ledger. 
Well,  the  entry  was  improved,  as  this  one  has  been ;  that  is  no  se 
cret  to  you,  sir.  Remember,  we  spoke  of  it  one  day.  The  ques 
tion  then  was  a  man's  life ;  at  present  it  is  the  honor  of  a  lady." 

It  was  plain  that  Col.  Ross  required  all  his  powers  of  self-con 
trol  to  reply. 

"  Yes,  we  spoke  of  that,"  he  said  with  a  suppressed  fire  in  his 
eyes,  "  but  it  has  nothing  to  do  with  this  question.  You  are  more 
familiar,  no  doubt,  with  forgeries  than  I  am.  Say  that  this  paper 


THE  PAPERS  FROM  LIMA.  175 

fias  been  falsified.  Do  you  charge  me  with  that  ?  It  is  a  gross 
calumny,  for  which  I  will  compel  you  to  give  me  personal  satisfac 
tion.  I  have  explained  to  Mrs.  Maurice  the  manner  in  which  this 
paper  came  into  my  possession,  and  precisely  as  she  now  sees  it.  I 
was  actuated  by  friendship,  the  desire  to  protect  her  family — herself 
personally — from  a  great  misfortune.  She  had  no  knowledge  when 
she  married  her  husband  that  he  was  already  married.  She  was  in 
nocent — she  had  a  daughter — it  was  to  guard  the  good  name  of 
mother  and  daughter  that  I  sent  to  Lima  for  this  record — subjected 
myself  to  prosecution.  If  the  record  is  falsified,  it  was  falsified  by 
others." 

"  That  is  your  explanation,  then — your  entire  explanation,  sir." 

"  It  is.  I  indignantly  repel  your  gross  insult — you  shall  answer 
for  it ! " 

"  Well,  one  business  at  a  time,"  said  Dr.  Haworth ;  "  we  can 
talk  of  that  afterward.  The  question  at  present  is  more  serious. 
You  have  said  so  yourself — it  is  the  good  name  of  a  mother  and  her 
daughter.  Let  us  come,  then,  to  the  vital  question.  Mr.  John 
Maurice  marries  in  South  America,  his  wife  dies,  and  he  marries  a 
second  time.  The  natural  supposition  is  that  a  man  of  honor  like 
Mr.  Maurice  would  not  have  committed  bigamy — but  twenty  years 
afterward,  when  he  has  been  dead  a  long  time,  the  question  arises 
whether  he  was  not  guilty  of  that.  The  decision  depends  upon  a 
burial  register  recording  the  date  of  the  first  wife's  death.  The 
register  is  produced  by  a  third  person,  and  it  establishes  the  charge 
of  bigamy.  There  is  only  one  flaw,  and  that  is  serious — the  regis 
ter  has  been  falsified.  The  obvious  question  is — who  falsified  it  ? 
and  the  first  step  in  the  inquiry  is  to  ascertain  the  motive  of  the 
forgery." 

"  Do  you  mean,  sir — ! "  exclaimed  Col.  Ross  with  his  head  low 
ered  and  looking  at  the  speaker  sidewise. 

"  I  will  tell  you  what  I  mean  if  you  will  allow  me  to  do  so  with 
out  interruption.  We  have  come  to  the  production  of  the  paper  by 
the  third  person,  but  there  was  also  a  fourth  person.  This  fourth 
person  had  his  own  reasons  for  ascertaining  the  real  facts  connected 
with  the  first  Mrs.  Maurice.  He  accordingly  wrote  to  Lima  and  as 
certained  what  he  wished  to  know." 

"  You  ascertained  !  " — 

"  I  see  you  identify  me  with  person  number  4,"  said  Dr.  Ha 
worth  ;  "  well,  you  are  not  wrong :  I  not  only  wrote,  but  growing  a, 


I»rt5  THE  PAPERS  FROM  LIMA. 

little  impatient  communicated  with  Lima  by  cable.  The  reply  of 
my  agent  was  that  the  papers  had  been  sent." 

"  The  papers,  sir —  ! " 

"  Not  by  mail.  The  mails  are  unsafe.  By  private  hand.  A 
friend  visiting  South  America  was  about  to  return  to  the  United 
States.  He  was  acquainted  with  my  agent  at  Lima,  and  hearing 
my  name  pronounced  informed  him  that  L  was  a  friend  of  his. 
The  result  was  that  the  papers  were  entrusted  to  him  for  delivery 
to  me  on  his  return.  He  has  delivered  them." 

"  The  papers,  sir — !  "  repeated  Col.  Ross. 

"  Here  they  are,"  said  Dr.  Haworth,  taking  some  folded  sheets 
from  his  pocket.  "  This  is  the  certificate  of  Fray  Antonio  Guarrez, 
canon  of  the  church  of  Desemparados,  that  Marie  Antoinette  Mau 
rice,  wife  of  Senor  John  Maurice,  was  interred  in  his  parish  on  Oc 
tober  ro,  1859,  as  appeared  from  the  mortuary  register — not  then 
abstracted.  That  may  be  called  the  ecclesiastical  proof,  here  is  the 
civil — the  certificate  of  Alguazil  Perez  that  the  death  of  Marie 
Antoinette  Maurice  was  reported  to  him  officially  at  the  same  date, 
as  appeared  by  the  civil  record." 

Dr.  Haworth  presented  the  papers  to  Mrs.  Maurice. 

"  These  facts  were  known  to  me  before  the  arrival  of  the  papers," 
he  said.  "  My  agent  telegraphed  them  in  cipher.  Accidents  hap 
pen." 

Col.  Ross  said  nothing.  His  expression  was  that  of  an  animal 
driven  to  bay  and  dangerous. 

"  The  whole  matter  is  now  perfectly  plain,  I  suppose,"  said  Dr. 
Haworth.  "  That  leaf  from  the  register  is  of  no  importance  what 
ever.  It  is  not  worth  destroying.  It  was  not  abstracted  in  time, 
and  the  change  made  in  it  was  deferred  too  long.  It  is  therefore 
waste  paper." 

Col.  Ross  advanced  a  step  and  said  in  a  cold  and  resolute 
voice : 

"  Am  I  to  understand,  sir,  that  you  formally  charge  me  with  the 
forgery  of  that  date  ?  " 

"  You  acknowledge  that  you  obtained  it — you  or  your  agent — 
from  the  register." 

"  Answer  my  question,  sir  ?  " 

"  Well,  I  think  your  agent  was  the  actual  forger — in  obedience 
to  an  order  or  an  intimation  of  your  wishes  in  the  matter.  Sincp 
you  question  me  I  reply." 


THE  PAPERS  FROM  LIMA. 


177 


"  That  is  enough,  sir,"  said  Col.  Ross,  white  with  anger.  "  Will 
a  friend  of  mine  find  you  here  to-morrow  ?  " 

"  Here  or  at  Abbeyville.   But  these  personal  matters  must  wait." 

"  They  shall  not  wait !  I  will  send  you  a  message  here,  or  force 
you  to  send  me  one — at  my  house,  where  it  will  find  me." 

"  A  message  will  find  you  to-morrow  at  the  jail  in  Abbeyville," 
said  Dr.  Haworth  in  his  cold  voice. 

He  went  to  the  door  and  called  a  person  standing  on  the  veranda, 
who  came  in. 

"  You  will  serve  the  warrant  of  arrest  on  Col.  Ross  for  complic 
ity  in  the  murder  of  Mr.  James  Maurice,"  he  said  to  the  constable. 

"My  arrest — for  murder!"  exclaimed  Col.  Ross  with  an  out 
burst. 

"  You  did  not  expect  it  so  soon  then,"  said  Dr.  Haworth.  "  You 
must  have  heard  from  your  confidential  friends  that  I  once  before 
procured  a  warrant  for  the  same  purpose  from  another  magistrate." 

The  constable  produced  the  warrant  and  said  : 

"  Sorry,  Colonel,  but  needs  must." 

Col.  Ross,  shaking  with  wrath,  turned  and  fixed  his  eyes  upon 
Dr.  Haworth. 

"  Well,  sir,  the  matter  is  in  shape  now,"  he  said.  "  This  is  war 
to  the  knife  and  the  knife  to  the  hilt.  I  accept  it — look  to  your 
self  ! " 

Dr.  Haworth  inclined  his  head  and  said : 

"  I  will  do  so." 

And  this  was  the  end  of  the  interview. 

Col.  Ross  rode  back  to  Abbeyville  with  the  constable,  and  was 
supplied  with  a  comfortable  apartment  in  the  town  jail  to  await  his 
examination  the  next  morning. 

The  examination  was  prolonged  and  attracted  a  great  crowd, 
who  evidently  sympathized  with  the  prisoner.  But  the  testimony  of 
Jean  Baptiste  and  others  was  serious.  Col.  Ross  was  refused  bail 
and  committed  for  trial  at  the  County  Court,  which  would  sit  in  a 
few  days. 

He  therefore  returned  to  his  apartment  in  jail,  where  he  was 
surrounded  with  every  comfort,  and  was  reported  to  view  his  ap 
proaching  trial  with  disdainful  composure. 


178  AN1  OUTRAGED   COMMUNITY. 

II. 

AN  OUTRAGED  COMMUNITY. 

IF  the  arrest  of  the  two  obscure  "  hill  people  "  surprised  the  in 
habitants  of  Abbeyville  and  the  vicinity,  the  arrest  of  Col.  Ross  as 
tounded  them. 

He  was  one  of  the  richest  and  most  prominent  gentlemen  of  the 
county.  His  good  name  was  unstained,  and  his  friendly  manners 
had  made  him  popular.  If  old  people  recalled  that  he  had  been  a 
wild  youth,  too  fond  of  the  tavern  bar,  the  young  generation  knew 
nothing  of  that  and  no  one  was  disposed  to  regard  it  as  the  unpar 
donable  sin.  It  was  wrong  to  get  tipsy,  of  course,  but  there  were 
some  things  that  were  even  worse.  There  was  hating  your  neigh 
bor  or  backbiting  him — being  self-righteous  and  loving  "  filthy 
lucre."  Some  people  who  went  regularly  to  church  and  held  up 
their  heads  were  often  guilty  of  that ;  and  nothing  pleased  them 
better  than  to  point  at  the  victim  of  drink  and  say :  "  I  thank  thee, 
O  Lord,  I  am  not  as  that  man." 

But  that  was  in  the  Colonel's  youth ;  people  who  disliked  him 
had  no  longer  the  satisfaction  of  shaking  their  heads.  His  life  was 
irreproachable — and  who  was  this  unknown  man,  this  Dr.  Haworth, 
who  had  charged  him  with  the  worst  offense  known  to  the  law  ? 

It  was  an  outrage,  and  the  magistrate  who  had  refused  him  bail 
and  committed  him  to  jail  would  probably  be  sent  into  retirement  at 
the  next  election. 

Thus  Abbeyville  was  outraged — also  the  county  of  which  it  was 
the  county  seat.  Crowds  flocked  to  offer  the  expressions  of  their 
sympathy.  The  fair  sex  manifested  a  desire  to  storm  the  prison 
bounds  and  clasp  the  interesting  accused  to  their  bosoms.  It  was 
said  that  a  party  had  visited  him,  and  that  two  of  their  number  who 
were  young  and  pretty,  had  cheered  his  solitude  with  a  kiss.  His 
photograph  was  in  demand,  and  an  enterprising  artist  having  secured 
one,  made  his  profit  from  the  circumstance.  If  he  had  chosen,  Col. 
Ross  might  have  affixed  his  autograph  to  them  and  driven  a  brisk 
trade  with  them.  But  that  was  unnecessary.  He  was  a  man  of 
wealth.  What  was  better,  he  was  eminently  respectable.  To  charge 
so  rich  and  respectable  a  man  with  murder  was  an  absurdity — even 
an  outrage ! 

Meanwhile  the  unknown  stranger,  Dr.  Haworth,  who  had  aroused 


AN  OUTRAGED  COMMUNITY.  179 

all  this  storm,  remained  portentously  quiet.  He  was  even  more 
cheerful  than  he  had  been  for  a  long  time.  Somebody  with  blue 
eyes,  who  had  remonstrated  with  him  now  and  then  in  a  low  voice 
for  his  moody  silence,  no  longer  had  any  occasion  to  do  so.  He 
looked  into  the  blue  eyes  under  the  brown  bangs  with  a  new  expres 
sion  of  happiness ;  and  the  eyes  filled  with  happy  light  in  response 
to  the  light  in  his  own. 

An  acute  observer  in  fact,  subjecting  Dr.  Haworth's  face  to 
thoughtful  inspection,  would  have  said  :  "  This  man  has  succeeded 
or  is  about  to  succeed  in  some  darling  object." 

One  morning  Dr.  Haworth  said  to  Miss  Gary  Maurice  : 

"Would  you  like  to  take  a  ride  on  horseback  to-day?  The 
weather  is  really  too  superb  to  remain  in  the  house." 

"  I  should  like  it  very  much,"  said  Gary,  with  a  glance  which 
meant,  "  since  I  am  to  ride  with  you." 

"  I  will  order  the  horses,  then,"  said  Dr.  Haworth. 

And  half  an  hour  afterward  they  were  riding  through  the  splen 
did  woods,  in  the  direction  of  Prof.  Lesner's.  The  road  leading  by 
his  house  was  winding  and  picturesque,  and  Miss  Gary  Maurice  pre 
ferred  it. 

"  We  might  call  and  inquire  if  the  poor  Professor  is  well,"  she 
said,  with  a  happy  laugh. 

And  Dr.  Haworth  replied,  looking  at  her  with  great  tender 
ness : 

"  I  meant  to  propose  that.  A  friend  is  visiting  the  Professor 
whom  I  promised  to  call  and  see." 

"  A  friend  of  yours  ?  " 

"  Yes,  and  a  very  fine  fellow,  as  you  say  in  the  South.  He 
brought  some  papers  for  me  from  Lima — but  that  is  not  very  in 
teresting." 

"  Who  is  he  ?  " 

"  You  shall  know  him  soon,  as  I  am  going  to  give  him  the  pleas 
ure  of  making  your  acquaintance." 

"  Is  he  fond  of  you  ?  " 

"  It  is  possible — I  am  fond  of  him." 

"  Then  I  shall  like  him,"  said  Miss  Gary,  with  a  side  glance  and 
a  charming  smile. 

She  raised  a  small  ungloved  hand  as  she  spoke  to  push  back  her 
brown  hair ;  and  as  the  hand  was  not  far  from  him  her  riding  com 
panion  took  it  and  pressed  it  tP  his  lips, 


l80  DR.    II A  WORTHS  FRIEND. 

"  I  never  thought  I  could  love  a  woman  as  I  love  you,"  he  said. 
And  Miss  Gary,  casting  down  her  eyes,  replied  in  a  whisper : 
"  That  makes  me  very  happy." 


III. 
DR.  HA  WORTH'S  FRIEND. 

THEY  had  soon  passed  over  the  distance  betwsen  Mauricewood 
and  Prof.  Lesner's,  and  found  themselves  in  front  of  the  small  home 
stead. 

The  place  was  much  changed.  The  end  of  autumn  had  come 
and  the  flowers  had  disappeared.  The  birds,  also,  which  had  made 
the  vicinity  vocal  with  their  gay  carollings,  were  silent ;  and  there 
was  a  general  air  of  sadness  and  solitude  about  the  attractive  little 
establishment. 

Prof.  Lesner  was  not  visible  in  the  grounds ;  he  was  probably 
afraid  of  the  rheumatism.  They  would  undoubtedly  find  him,  how 
ever,  in  his  study,  and  having  assisted  Miss  Gary  to  dismount  and 
tethered  the  horses,  Dr.  Haworth  walked  up  to  the  house. 

He  knocked,  but  no  one  replied,  though  voices  were  distinguished 
in  the  library  on  the  right. 

"  I  am  afraid  the  poor  Professor  is  unwell,  he  is  always  so 
prompt,"  said  Gary,  "  but  I  think  I  hear  some  one.  He  is  the  friend 
you  spoke  of,  no  doubt." 

"  No  doubt,  and  he  is  probably  conversing  with  his  traveling 
companion,  a  young  lady." 

"  A  young  lady  ?  " 

"  From  South  America." 

You  have  not  told  me  who  they  are  ?  " 

"  Well,  you  will  know  now.    Here  is  my  friend." 

Steps  were  heard,  the  door  opened,  and  Mr.  Burdette,  of  New 
York,  made  his  appearance.  He  was  the  same  jovial  and  attractive 
personage,  with  his  ruddy  cheeks,  his  bright  smile,  his  hair  parted  in 
the  middle  and  curling,  and  his  eye-glasses  secured  by  a  guard  to 
his  button-hole. 

"  Why,  Haworth,  old  fellow,"  he  cried,  "  I  thought  a  good  wind 
Would  blow  you  in  this  direction  to-day  !  " 

"  Well,  you  see  it  has  blown  me — " 


DR.  HA  WORTHS  FRIEND.  jgi 

"  For  fear  /would  blow  you  up  for  not  coming,  mio  amigo." 

Mr.  Burdette  saw  his  friend's  companion  and  made  her  a  bow  full 
of  grace  and  high  breeding. 

"  Miss  Maurice,"  said  Dr.  Haworth,  "  permit  me  to  present  my 
friend  Mr.  Burdette." 

Mr.  Burdette  and  Miss  Maurice  exchanged  friendly  bows,  and 
then  the  former  exclaimed,  laughing  : 

"  This  is  delightful !  I  thought  I  was  to  sustain  the  infliction  of 
your  society  solus — and  lo  !  you  lift  the  weight  from  my  mind." 

"  I  am  glad  you  are  relieved,"  said  Dr.  Haworth — the  very  sight 
of  his  laughing  friend  seemed  to  put  him  in  good  humor. 

"  I  am  !  immensely  !  And  then  my  little  friend,  Miss  Giorgione, 
will  be  delighted.  She's  rather  tired  of  me,  I  suppose,  by  this  time." 

"  Miss  Giorgione  ?  " 

"  Otherwise,  Miss  Carrie  Fenton.  She  is  a  little  lady  from  the 
North  who  has  been  living  with  an  aunt  of  hers  in  Lima.  As  I  was 
going  down  that  way  her  friends  asked  me  to  escort  her  home.  I 
call  her  Giorgione  from  her  splendid  hair — like  the  painter  Gior- 
gione's  pictures,  you  know — the  real  bronze  gold — Titianesque  and 
that  sort  of  thing." 

The  gay  voice  of  Mr.  Burdette  made  the  lonely  house  a  different 
place. 

"  I  shall  be  very  glad,  indeed,  to  become  acquainted  with  Miss 
Giorgione,"  said  Gary,  smiling,  "  but  where  is  Prof.  Lesner  ?  " 

Mr.  Burdette  shook  his  head. 

"  He  is  quite  unwell.  I  called  by  to  see  him,  as  he  invited  me 
to  spend  a  few  days — we  have  had  some  business  relations.  But  I 
find  him  confined  to  his  chamber." 

"  Poor  dear  Prof.  Lesner  !  "  said  Gary.    "  I  am  so  sorry." 

"  It  quite  changes  my  plans.  My  arrangements  are  all  made  to 
spend  a  week  here — but  I  am  detaining  you,  Miss  Maurice.  Allow 
me  the  pleasure  of  presenting  Miss  Giorgione." 

They  went  into  the  library,  and  were  met  by  a  very  pretty  young 
girl  of  1 8,  with  a  bright  face  and  superb  hair  of  a  rich-shaded  gold. 
She  wore  a  fawn-colored  traveling  dress,  which  defined  a  slight  and 
graceful  figure. 

When  Mr.  Burdette  presented  his  friend  she  came  forward 
quietly  and  held  out  her  hand  smiling.  All  were  friends  in  a  mo 
ment,  and  while  Miss  Gary  and  Miss  Giorgione  chatted  in  one  cor 
ner  Mr.  Burdette  and  Dr.  Haworth  strolled  out  to  the  porch, 


jg2  &R    HA  WORTHS  FRIEND. 

"  What  is  the  matter  with  the  Professor  ? "  said  Dr.  Ha- 
worth. 

Mr.  Burdette  shook  his  head  as  before.  "  The  old  business,"  he 
said  in  a  low  voice.  "  The  Mott  street  complaint." 

"  You  have  seen  him  ?  " 

"  Yes,  but  he  scarcely  recognized  me.  He  is  in  a  sort  of  stupor. 
I  thought  he  had  made  up  his  mind  to  let  that  poison  alone." 

"  I  am  afraid  he  is  too  much  under  its  control.  So  you  are  dis 
appointed  in  your  visit  ?  " 

"  It  seems  so.  It  won't  do  to  stay — nobody  but  an  old  negro 
woman  to  do  the  honors  of  the  establishment !  "  laughed  M" .  Bur 
dette. 

Dr.  Haworth  was  evidently  disappointed  at  the  idea  of  having  his 
friend  depart  so  quickly. 

"  We  will  see  about  this,"  he  said,  "  and  I  will  send  up  my  name 
to  the  poor  old  fellow ;  he  may  see  me.  Let  me  first  thank  you  for 
bringing  these  papers  and  delivering  them  as  you  got  out  of  the 
train.  You  are  not  aware  what  a  service  you  have  done  me." 

"  Glad  to  hear  it.  Espartero  said  they  were  important,  and  he 
didn't  like  to  trust  them  to  the  mail.  I  made  his  acquaintance  in 
Lima,  and  incidentally  mentioned  that  I  knew  you — so  he  sent  them 
along  by  me." 

"  They  came  just  in  time.  I  will  tell  you  about  it  when  we  have 
more  leisure." 

Animated  voices  were  heard  in  the  library,  and  the  voice  of  Miss 
Gary  cried : 

"  But  I  insist  upon  it." 

"  I  should  like  it  so  much — but  you  must  ask  Mr.  Burdette ! " 
replied  the  voice  of  Miss  Giorgione. 

"  It  is  not  necessary  to  ask  him.  The  masculine  sex  were  made 
to  submit  to  the  weaker  vessels,"  said  Miss  Gary.  "  You  and  he 
positively  shall  come !  Dr.  Haworth  is — a  very  dear  friend ;  and 
his  friends  are  ours." 

"  But—" 

"  Poor  Prof.  Lesner  is  too  unwell  to  make  your  visit  agreeable — 
so  you  see — now  do ! " 

Mr.  Burdette,  overhearing  this  colloquy,  laughed. 

"  Your  friend  Miss  Maurice  is  trying  to  persuade  Miss  Giorgione 
to  make  her  a  visit,"  he  said. 

"  Why  not  ?    I  thought  of  that.    You  would  come ! " 


DR.  U A  WORTH '3  FRIEND.  jg^ 

"  Come  ?  Why,  certainly  I  would  come.  I  am  on  the  wing,  and 
ready  to  light  anywhere." 

"  Light  at  Mauricewood,  then — Miss  Maurice's  mother's.  It  is  a 
pleasant  perch." 

"  With  pleasure.  Do  you  think  they  will  take  care  of  us  for  four 
or  five  days  ?  " 

"  Not  for  any  specified  term — that  is  not  the  fashion  in  the  South. 
The  people  are  precise ;  they  insist  upon  their  visitors  remaining — 
indefinitely.  The  longer  the  better." 

"  Well,  I  believe  that's  the  fact,"  said  Mr.  Burdette,  in  a  jovial 
manner.  "  I'll  come — but  I  positively  must  be  in  New  York  in  one 
week." 

They  went  in.  Miss  Gary  urged  her  invitation ;  it  was  at  length 
cordially  accepted,  and  the  carriage  was  to  be  sent  for  them  on  the 
same  evening. 

Dr.  Haworth  then  summoned  the  old  black  servant  woman  and 
sent  her  up  to  ask  Prof.  Lesner  if  he  was  able  to  see  him. 

In  a  few  moments  the  old  woman  hobbled  down  stairs  and 
brought  the  reply  that  Prof.  Lesner  was  so  unwell  that  he  could  not 
see  his  friends.  He  had  the  asthma,  but  would  soon  be  better. 
Company  excited  him,  but  he  hoped  Dr.  Haworth  would  call  again. 

From  this  it  was  plain  at  least  that  his  asthma  had  not  wholly 
deprived  him  of  his  faculties,  and  musing  sadly  for  a  moment  at  the 
melancholy  weakness  of  the  good  old  scholar,  Dr.  Haworth  looked 
at  Miss  Gary,  who  thereupon  rose. 

"  You  will  come  this  evening ! "  she  said,  holding  out  her  hand 
and  beaming  on  Miss  Giorgione. 

"But  you  have  not  told  your  mamma." 

"  Mamma  is  my  subordinate — I  rule  her  with  a  rod  of  iron,"  said 
Miss  Gary. 

"  Then  you  are  spoiled,"  laughed  Miss  Giorgione. 

"  I  believe  I  am !    Everybody  does  spoil  me." 

She  glanced  sidewise  at  Dr.  Haworth. 

"  But  don't  be  afraid  !  We'll  all  be  delighted.  You  must  cer 
tainly  come,  Mr.  Burdette,  and  bring — Giorgione ! " 

Thereupon  Miss  Gary  Maurice  went  through  the  formula  which 
is  the  feminine  indication  of  mild  regard — she  kissed  Miss  Giorgione. 

Once  in  the  saddle  again  and  going  at  full  speed  through  the 
beautiful  woods,  Dr.  Haworth  said  to  his  companion ; 

"  Do  you  like  my  friends  ?  " 


1 84  JEAN'S  FKTEtfD. 

"  They  are  charming." 

"Burdette  is  a  fine  fellow." 

"  And  so  is  Giorgione  !    What  hair !    How  I  envy  her." 

"  You  need  not,"  said  Dr.  Haworth. 

And  as  Miss  Gary's  brown  curls  had  fallen  on  her  shoulders  he 
took  one  of  them  and  touched  it  with  his  lips.  It  was  the  second 
time  on  the  ride  that  he  had  performed  a  romantic  ceremony. 

On  the  same  afternoon  the  Mauricewood  carriage  was  sent  to 
Prof.  Lesner's,  and  returned  with  Mr.  Burdette  and  Miss  Giorgione. 


IV. 

JEAN'S  FRIEND. 

DR.  HAWORTH  had  gone  up-stairs  to  make  his  toilet  for  tea 
when  Jean  came  into  the  chamber  with  his  face  full  of  blushes. 
Chancing  to  glance  at  him  Dr.  Haworth  noticed  the  deep  color  in 
his  cheeks  and  said : 

"  What  is  the  matter,  Jean  ?  " 

"  The  matter  is,  Excellency,"  stammered  the  boy, "  that — that — " 

He  stopped,  attempting  to  laugh,  but  exhibiting  the  greatest  con 
fusion. 

"  Tell  me  what  you  mean.    Has  anything  disturbed  you,  Jean  ?  " 

"Yes,  Excellency." 

"  Speak  plainly;  tell  me  what  it  is." 

"I  never  expected — what  could  have  brought  her  here — the 
young  lady — Miss  Carrie  Fenton ! " 

"  Do  you  know  her  ?  " 

"  Know  her  !    She  is  the  one— the  one — I  knew  so  well  in  Lima ! " 

Dr.  Haworth  looked  at  Jean  with  surprise  and  then  smiled. 

"  Well,  that  is  curious  indeed — that  you  and  she  should  be  thrown 
together  in  this  manner !  I  understand — she  is  inamorata  I  Well, 
you  have  an  excellent  opportunity  to  renew  your  suit." 

Jean  colored  more  than  ever  and  then  began  to  laugh. 

"I'm  afraid  there's  no  hope,  Excellency.  She  is  prettier  and 
more  mischievous  than  ever !  When  she  got  out  of  the  carriage  I 
could  scarcely  believe  my  eyes,  I  was  up  here  looking  out  of  the 
window.  How  did  she  come  to  be  here  ?  " 

Dr.  Haworth  explained  and  then  proceeded  in  a  direct  manner 


A  MAtf  df  SUSitfESS  NESTING.  185 

to  catechise  Jean.  He  had  known  that  the  boy  had  suffered  a  love 
disappointment  at  Lima.  Now  he  asked  all  about  it,  and  Jean  with 
some  confusion  and  a  good  deal  of  laughter  confessed  everything. 
He  had  made  Miss  Fenton's  acquaintance  at  Lima,  and  became  a 
regular  visitor  at  her  aunt's,  where  she  had  lived  for  some  years, 
as  her  mother  and  father  were  both  dead.  The  result  had  been  the 
common  one  when  two  impulsive  young  people  of  different  sexes 
meet  as  familiar  friends.  Miss  Fenton  and  Mr.  Baptiste,  Gen.  Ha- 
worth's  private  secretary,  had  become  more  than  friends — the  youth 
had  "  told  his  love,"  and  she  had  replied  with  a  laugh  that  she  was 
too  young,  had  insisted  upon  the  same  reply,  and  the  youth  finally 
construing  this  into  a  polite  form  of  the  phrase,  "  No,  I  thank  you," 
had  gone  off  in  despair  to  travel  and  forget  his  woes. 

"  Well,  that  is  very  simple,"  said  Dr.  Haworth,  much  interested 
and  amused.  "  It  is  a  good  omen  that  you  should  meet  again  in  this 
odd  manner ;  and  I  shall  assist  your  suit  in  every  manner  possible, 
as  you  have  it  so  much  at  heart.  Am  I  wrong  ?  " 

"  Very  far  from  it,  but — "  Jean  stopped,  blushing. 

"  You  think  Miss  Fenton  has  finally  made  up  her  mind  ?  One  is 
never  certain  of  that  as  to  women,  the  philosophers  say.  You  can 
satisfy  yourself  at  least,  and  I  am  glad  a  friend  has  arrived  to  induce 
you  to  emerge  from  your  room  and  mingle  more  with  the  household. 
Your  modesty  is  intense,  Jean,  but  remember  you  owe  it  to  Miss 
Fenton  to  show  your  pleasure  at  seeing  her  again.  After  tea,  there 
fore,  you  must  not  go  up-stairs,  but  come  into  the  drawing-room, 
and  do  your  part  to  make  this  pretty  little  South  American  at  home. 
Common  courtesy  requires  that." 

The  boy  laughed  and  blushed ;  at  the  same  moment  the  tea-bell 
rang  and  Dr.  Haworth  said : 

"  Come,  Jean ! " 


V. 

A  MAN  OF  BUSINESS  RESTING. 

PRETTY  Miss  Giorgione  and  jovial  Mr.  Burdette  were  thus 
domiciled  for  the  time  at  Mauricewood. 

It  was  a  very  great  pleasure  to  two  persons — Dr.  Haworth  and 
Jean.  The  first  had  many  things  to  talk  about  with  Mr.  Burdette, 
and  Jean  had  even  more  to  say  to  Miss  Giorgione, 


lg6  A  MAN-  OF  BUSINESS  RESTING. 

She  had  met  him,  when  he  appeared  at  tea,  with  a  stare  ot 
astonishment.  Then  her  face  filled  with  laughter,  and  she  held  out 
her  hand,  which  Jean  hastened  to  take.  The  broken  intimacy  of 
Lima  seemed  to  have  been  cemented  in  a  moment ;  and  any  one 
glancing  at  the  face  of  Miss  Giorgione  during  her  interview  with 
Jean  would  have  said,  "  There  is  a  little  beauty  who  is  shut  up  in  a 
quiet  country  house,  and  hails  with  delight  the  opportunity  of  teas 
ing  an  old  lover  for  her  amusement." 

Every  member  of  the  Mauricewood  family  was  charmed  with  the 
gay  traveler,  Mr.  Burdette.  He  was  full  of  fun,  and  had  the  tact  of 
becoming  quickly  acquainted  with  people — also  that  of  making  friends 
of  them.  He  adapted  himself  to  his  surroundings  with  the  ease  of 
an  old  voyager,  acting  up  to  his  favorite  maxim — "  When  you  are  in 
Turkey  do  as  the  turkeys  do,  and  if  you  are  in  Caracas  do  as  the 
Crackers  do  ! " 

Mr.  Tim  Maurice  was  delighted  and  found  only  one  fault  with 
him — he  was  too  easy  to  beat  at  chess.  Otherwise  he  was  an  im 
mense  acquisition,  and  host  and  guest  had  long  and  animated  talks. 

"  You  have  a  fine  old  place  here,"  said  Mr.  Burdette,  smoking 
his  mild  cigar  on  the  veranda  with  the  assistance  of  a  newspaper. 
"  This  is  the  way  to  live." 

"  You  like  it  because  it  is  quiet,  I  suppose  ?  "  said  Uncle  Tim. 

"  Precisely.  We  are  driven  to  death  in  New  York  one  way  or 
another.  I  went  off  for  a  little  rest." 

"  Did  you  find  it  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes.  I  forgot  all  about  business,  and  lounged  along,  laugh 
ing  and  enjoying  everything." 

"You  went  to  South  America — Lima — by  Panama,  I  suppose  ?  " 

"  No,  by  Buenos  Ayres,  stopping  at  Cuba  and  Rio  Janeiro.  I 
had  something  to  attend  to  there — and,  by-the-by,  I  ran  over  to 
Florida." 

"  To  see  some  friends  in  the  country  ?  " 

"Well,  a  little  business." 

"  I  thought  you  said  you  left  business  behind  you  when  you 
turned  your  back  on  New  York  ?  " 

"  What  took  me  to  Florida  did  not  amount  to  much.  I  merely 
went  there  to  buy  a  villa  and  an  orange  plantation  for  Mrs.  B.  and 
my  brunettes.  I  then  went  back  to  Havana,  where  I  had  a  little 
matter  to  arrange,  since  I  have  come  to  think  of  it." 

"  Business  again  ?  " 


A  MAX  OF  BUSINESS  RESTING.  187 

"  Well,  not  much.  I  had  an  interest  in  a  sugar  manufactory,  and 
one  of  those  Spanish  dons  you  meet  in  New  York  had  persuaded  me 
to  invest  in  a  cigar  fabrico.  I  thought  I  would  straighten  things,  as 
I  was  on  the  spot.  So  I  sold  out  my  sugar  interest,  pocketed  half 
the  amount  of  the  insurance  on  the  cigar  factory,  which  had  just 
burned  down,  and  went  on  to  Rio  Janeiro." 

"  Where  I  do  trust  you  had  no  business ! " 

"  Well,"  said  Mr.  Burdette,  laughing  at  his  companion's  tone, 
"  it  amounted  to  nothing  at  all — a  mere  share  in  a  coffee  plantation. 
I  was  compelled  to  go  there,  however,  to  look  after  some  stock  I 
hold  in  Dom  Pedro's  street  rail-car  company.  My  idea  was  to  talk 
the  senors  into  adopting  the  compressed  air  motor — but  that's  a  long 
way  ahead  of  South  American  progress ;  so  I  went  on  to  Buenos 
Ayres  and  crossed  over  to  Lima." 

"  Don't  tell  me,  I  beg,  that  you  had  business  there !  You  left 
home  to  rest ! "  exclaimed  Uncle  Tim,  in  a  state  of  outrage. 

"  I  am  sorry  to  say  I  had  a  trifle,  both  in  Buenos  Ayres  and 
Lima.  Don't  be  uneasy ;  it  was  not  connected  with  guano  or  ni 
trates.  To  tell  you  a  secret,  I  have  invented  a  new  electric  brake  for 
railway  cars — to  get  ahead  of  my  friend  Edison— and  as  I  am  one  of 
the  directors  of  the  Lima  &  Quito  Trunk  line — " 

"  Good,  Heavens !    Not  more  business  ! " 

Mr.  Burdette  laughed  with  an  air  of  enjoyment. 

"I  didn't  mind  it,"  he  said.  "In  fact,  I  am  used  to  it.  But  I 
see  I  am  boring  you.  I  soon  picked  up  little  Miss  Giorgione  and 
set  out  for  home." 

"  You  didn't  stop,  I  hope  ?  " 

"  For  a  day  or  two  only,  on  the  Isthmus  and  at  New  Orleans." 

"  Not—" 

"  Well,  it  did  not  signify.  De  Lesseps  is  a  friend  of  mine,  and 
— the  ship  canal,  you  know — I  had  to  audit  some  claim — as  a  mem 
ber  of  the  board  ;  but  I  was  soon  in  New  Orleans.  A  charming  place." 

"  You  enjoyed  it,  I  hope,  without — " 

"  Well,  my  business  there  was  really  a  mere  bagatelle.  As  Vice- 
President  of  the  Ashtabula  Line  of  steamboats — but  I  see  I  am 
growing  tedious.  I  never  enjoyed  a  trip  more — it  was  such  a  com 
plete  rest !  I  am  growing  positively  idle,  and  will  find  it  a  hard 
struggle  to  get  back  to  business ! " 

With  which  foreboding  Mr.  Burdette  sighed,  and  then  laughed 
jn  response  to  the  laughter  of  his  delighted  companion,  Uncle  Tim* 


1 88  -ATff.   BVRDETTE    WHISTLES. 

VI. 

MR.   BURDETTE  WHISTLES. 

DR.  HAWORTH  had  not  ceased  to  manifest  from  the  first  mo 
ment  of  his  friend's  arrival  the  real  pleasure  he  experienced  from 
that  event.  It  is  a  great  satisfaction  sometimes  to  have  one  call  one 
"  old  fellow  " — which,  wanting  in  distinguished  consideration,  has  a 
much  greater  charm. 

So  they  rode  and  walked  together,  and  had  long  talks.  Dr.  Ha- 
worth,  without  reserve,  told  his  friend  everything  connected  with 
the  approaching  trial  at  Abbeyville ;  and  having  listened  in  deep 
astonishment,  Mr.  Burdette  uttered  a  prolonged  whistle. 

He  then  turned  around  and  said,  fixing  his  eyes  upon  Dr.  Ha- 
worth : 

"  Are  you  literary  ?  " 

"  Literary  ?    I  am  not  sure  I  understand." 

"  Are  you  engaged  on  a  romance  ?  " 

"  Writing  one  ?     Certainly  not." 

"  Well,  I  thought  you  were,  and  that  you  were  giving  me  an  out 
line  of  your  plot !  " 

Thereupon  Mr.  Burdette  whistled  again  and  exclaimed  : 

"Write  it  up!  There's  millions  in  it!— fifty  thousand  copies 
ordered  in  advance ! — presses  working  night  and  day  and  un 
able  to  supply  the  demand !  Write  it  up,  Haworth,  write  it 
up!" 

"You  forget  there  is  no  denouement,  my  dear  Burdette,"  said  Dr. 
Haworth  grimly,  "  but  that  is  not  far  off  now.  You  have  come  just 
in  time  to  be  present." 

"  I  must  get  back — business  calls  me.  I  have  rested  too  long, 
When  does  it  come  off  ?  " 

"  Next  week." 

Mr.  Burdette  inspected  his  note-book,  muttering : 

"  Meeting  of  the  board — Tuesday  the — appointment  with  Billin 
to — well,  I  may  be  able  to  stay,  perhaps." 

"You  will  see  something  worth  seeing,"  said  Dr.  Haworth  in  his 
grave  voice.  "  This  man  is  going  to  show  fight — it  is  a  matter  of 
life  and  death  with  him." 

"  Do  you  think  you  can  bring  that  horrible  affair  home  to  him  ?  " 
asked  Mr.  Burdette  in  an  earnest  tone. 


MR.  BURDETTE    WHISTLES.  189 

"  I  mean  to  make  the  attempt,  at  least.  You  can  judge  for  your 
self,  as  I  have  told  you  everything." 

"  And  I  never  was  more  flattered,  Haworth.  A  man  like  your 
self  rarely  talks  as  plainly  as  you  have  talked  to  me." 

"  Take  the  fact,  if  you  choose,  as  an  evidence  of  my  estimate  of 
your  character.  Yes,  the  issue  is  now  joined  between  myself  and 
Col.  Ross.  Whether  he  strangled  James  Maurice  with  his  own 
hands  or  not,  he  was  concerned  in  it !  " 

"  A  man  of  his  high  position  ! — and  I  think  I  heard  some  one  say 
that  the  whole  country  sympathized  with  him  and  thought  the  charge 
an  outrage  ?  " 

"  You  heard  the  truth,"  said  Dr.  Haworth  coolly.  "  Col.  Ross  is 
a  man  of  position,  and  what  is  more  serious,  of  wealth  and  influence. 
He  has  engaged  the  ablest  counsel  and  insists  upon  a  prompt  trial. 
His  friends  are  manufacturing  public  sentiment — here  and  in  the 
prominent  journals.  At  this  moment  I  am  an  object  of  positive  de 
testation  to  the  good  people  of  this  country.  I,  an  unknown  stranger, 
am  presssing  a  gross  and  fatal  charge — the  charge  of  secret  murder 
— against  one  of  the  first  gentlemen  of  this  community ! " 

"  Well,"  said  Mr.  Burdette,  with  the  same  earnestness,  "  I  know 
you  too  well  not  to  be  sure  that  you  know  what  you  are  doing." 

"  I  know  perfectly  well !  I  have  him  in  my  hand,  Burdette !  If 
he  is  guilty  I  swear  he  shall  not  escape — as  long  as  I  am  alive  I  will 
not  let  him  rest !  " 

"  There  is  no  possibility  of  mistake  then  ?     His  character — " 

"  Of  mistake  ?  His  character  ?  "  exclaimed  Dr.  Haworth  ;  "  what 
would  you  say  of  a  man  who  forged  a  paper  reflecting  dishonor  on 
a  lady  to  force  her  to  give  him  the  hand  of  her  daughter  ?  " 

"  I  should  say  he  was  a  scoundrel !  " 

"  Then  you  have  the  proof  that  this  man  is  such — since  he  did 
so." 

They  had  walked  out  in  the  grounds  and  were  coming  back 
toward  the  house  now. 

"Well,  I'll  stay — whether  I  can  or  not,"  said  Mr.  Burdette  sud 
denly.  "  One  doesn't  meet  with  such  a  drama  every  day.  Yes,  I'll 
stay  over  to  the  trial." 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  it ;  and  now  let  us  come  to  something  more 
agreeable.  I  see  your  young  friend,  Miss  Giorgione,  as  you  call  her, 
yonder — walking  out  with  Jean." 

"  Jt  looks  like  a  case,"  said  Mr.  Burdette,  resuming  his  cheerful- 


190 


MR.   BVRDETTE    WHISTLES. 


ness,  "  and  I  am  glad  I  brought  the  young  thing  away  from  Prof. 
Lesner's.  Poor  old  fellow — how  sorry  I  am  for  him." 

"  It  is  really  melancholy.  I  have  seen  his  book — the  '  Psychology 
of  Opium.'  It  is  a  strange  performance." 

"  Yes — I  hesitated  about  publishing  it ;  but  he  was  so  pressing 
that  I  sent  it  to  press!" 

"Then  publishers  are  accessible  to  human  feeling?"  said  Dr. 
Haworth,  evidently  striving  to  throw  off  his  gloomy  mood. 

"  Publishers  ?  "  said  Mr.  Burdette,  "  accessible  to  feeling  ?  My 
dear  fellow,  they  are  babes — babes!  No  author  ever  appeals  to 
them  in  vain,  and  they  live  up  to  their  lofty  ideal  and  grand  mis 
sion." 

"  What  is  that  ?  " 

"  To  lend  a  hand  to  struggling  genius — and  make  money !  " 

Mr.  Burdette  had  evidently  regained  his  good  spirits,  and  said 
kindly : 

"  Poor  old  Lesner !  He  is  a  scholar  and  a  gentleman — and  he 
has  become  the  slave  of  opium.  I  sympathize  with  him  deeply,  and 
would  do  anything  in  my  power  to  assist  him — as  I  know  you  would, 
Haworth." 

"Anything  whatever  —  but  these  slaveries  are  discouraging. 
There  is  but  one  course  for  a  man  of  feeling — to  treat  them  gently 
and  endeavor  to  touch  the  morale.  That  is  the  only  hope ;  and  this 
poor  old  gentleman,  I  fear,  has  weakened  his  will  too  much." 

"  It  looks  like  it.  Well,  I'll  hope  for  the  best.  What  a  jolly  old 
place,"  said  Mr.  Burdette,  looking  up  at  the  Mauricewood  house  as 
they  drew  near. 

"  A  good  example  of  a  Southern  country  home." 

"  Yes,  cheerful  with  the  door  wide  open.  But  just  think  of  that 
terrible  business !  Which  is  the  room  ?  " 

"  That  to  the  left  yonder." 

"  With  the  closed  blinds  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"Well,  I've  often  stopped  to  look  at  the  house  where  the  Nathan 
murder  took  place — on  Twenty-third  street — but  this  seems  stranger. 
It  is  hard  to  connect  the  idea  of  murder  with  a  place  like  this. 
Which  window  did  the  murderer  enter  at  ?  " 

"  That  one,"  said  Dr.  Haworth,  pointing. 

"You  think  he  was  really  Ross ?  " 

"We  will  know  next  week,"  said  Pr.  Hawprth. 


THE  OPENING  OF   THE    TRIAL.  igi 

VII. 
THE  OPENING  OF  THE  TRIAL. 

THE  day  for  the  trial  came,  and  a  great  crowd  filled  the  court 
house  at  Abbeyville. 

It  was  an  old  brick  building,  discolored  by  age,  standing  in  the 
middle  of  a  grassy  yard,  and  the  court-room  was  spacious,  with  a 
raised  platform  for  the  Judge,  seats  for  the  jury  to  the  left,  and  a 
long  desk  for  the  bar  in  front. 

The  Prosecuting  Attorney  occupied  an  arm-chair  near  the  Clerk, 
who  sat  just  beneath  the  Judge.  In  one  coiner  was  a  small  elevated 
dais  surrounded  by  a  railing — the  dock.  But  this  was  rarely  used. 

By  9  o'clock  in  the  morning  all  the  avenues  to  the  court-house 
had  been  thronged,  so  great  was  the  public  curiosity;  and  by  n, 
when  court  opened,  a  dense  mass  packed  the  court-room.  It  was 
difficult  to  move  an  inch,  and  when  the  Sheriff  was  compelled  in  the 
exercise  of  his  official  functions  to  make  his  way  through  the  crowd 
he  did  so  at  the  imminent  risk  of  his  apparel. 

The  accused,  Col.  Ross,  Job.  Wilkins,  and  Mrs.  Wilkins,  were 
seated  behind  the  long  desk  facing  the  Judge  and  near  their  coun 
sel,  two  in  number,  one  of  them  the  most  eminent  criminal  lawyer 
in  a  circuit  of  fifty  miles,  and  the  other  a  rising  young  advocate  who 
had  already  developed  an  original  knack  for  working  upon  juries. 

The  jury  was  chosen  with  difficulty,  and  only  after  long  and  hot 
discussion.  There  had  been,  apparently,  very  few  persons  who  had 
not  formed  an  opinion,  namely,  that  the  charge  against  Col.  Ross, 
at  least,  was  an  outrage,  and  securing  a  panel  consumed  nearly  two 
hours.  At  last  that  was  effected,  however,  and  the  trial  began. 

At  this  moment  the  large  apartment  presented  a  striking  specta 
cle.  The  autumn  sunshine  streaming  through  the  lofty  windows, 
covered  with  dust  and  cobwebs,  lit  up  the  contrasted  figures  of  the 
dense  crowd — the  well-dressed  gentlemen,  the  roughly-clad,  and  at 
the  door  some  dusky  Africans,  who,  like  their  white  fellow-citizens, 
recently  their  masters,  had  caught  the  general  contagion.  A  stray 
beam  fell  on  the  ancient  clerk  seated  behind  his  table,  upon  the  si- 
lent  jury,  and  the  face  of  Col.  Ross,  with  its  expression  of  unaltera 
ble  composure.  He  was.  scrupulously  neat  in  his  toilet,  and  wore 
fawn-colored  kid  gloves,  according  to  his  habit.  His  black  coat  and 
spotless  bosom  gave  him  the  air  of  a  person  attending  a  f£tef  and 


J02  THE  OPENING  OF   THE    TRIAL. 

Mr.  Burdette,  who  was  standing  in  the  crowd  immediately  behind 
him,  looked  at  him  with  philosophic  interest. 

The  Wilkins  people  were  a  great  contrast — they  were  dirty  and 
sullen.  On  the  man's  face  there  was  seen  a  sort  of  ferocity  as  of  an 
animal  driven  to  bay ;  on  the  woman's  a  stolid  and  cunning  look, 
which  defied  the  penetration  of  the  crowd  staring  intently  at  her. 

His  Honor  the  Judge  and  the  counsel  have  not  received  their 
due  amount  of  attention,  in  this  rapid  coup  d'ail  of  the  court-room. 
Judge  Gideon  Bootlack  was  a  little  man  with  a  red  nose,  and  a  pair 
of  watery  eyes,  who  had  supplanted  his  gray  haired  predecessor,  a 
Judge  of  the  old  regime — the  result  of  his  ardent  support  of  the 
powers  that  were.  He  had  enemies — every  great  man  has — and 
these  foes  went  so  far  as  to  declare  that  the  orthography  of  his  name 
was  defective,  that  in  reality  it  was  "  Bootlick,"  and  derived  from 
"  bootlicking  the  boss,"  whatever  that  might  mean.  This  was  proba 
bly  a  mere  slander,  however,  as  the  Judge,  according  to  his  own 
statement,  was  a  man  of  expanded  views.  He  aspired  to  Congress, 
the  Cabinet,  and  the  Presidency,  on  the  ground  that  in  this  great 
country  the  humblest,  etc.,  etc.  Meanwhile,  and  previous  to  being 
obliged  to  give  dinners  at  the  White  House  with  bouquets  at  the 
plates,  he  was  little  Gideon  Bootlack,  with  smirking  lips  stained  with 
tobacco,  a  weazen  face  like  a  winter  apple,  small  red  eyes,  an  ob 
sequious  manner,  a  complete  ignorance  of  law,  and  a  pleasing  habit 
when  appealed  to  for  his  judicial  decision  of  clearing  his  throat,  say 
ing,  "  Ah,  well,"  and  proceeding  to  flounder  in  mud  and  incompre 
hensibility. 

Mr.  Dunn,  Prosecuting  Attorney,  was  a  gentleman  of  about  40 
— tall,  thoroughbred,  good-looking,  with  a  lazy  smile,  quiet  manners, 
very  friendly,  but  a  rough  wrestler  and  fond  of  philippic.  He  was 
an  excellent  lawyer,  an  admirable  public  speaker,  and  universally 
popular,  though  he  took  no  pains  to  wheedle  anybody.  The  Judge 
was  rather  afraid  of  him,  and  also  of  Mr.  Shirley,  the  senior  counsel 
for  the  defense,  a  man  of  imposing  manners,  piercing  eyes  under 
bushy  brows,  and  a  way  of  taking  snuff  which  awed  people.  As  to 
Mr.  Sparrow,  the  junior  counsel,  he  hopped  and  chirped,  and  while 
speaking  shook  his  fist,  appealed  to  the  bystanders,  executed  gym 
nastics,  and  seemed  to  have  taken  a  contract  to  remove  the  roof  of 
the  court-house  with  his  circular-saw  voice,  whose  terrible  rasping 
had  been  known  to  make  women  in  the  audience  faint. 

The  trial  began.    The  three  accused  persons  had  been  joined  in 


THE   OPENING  OF   THE    TRIAL. 


193 


one  indictment — Wilkins  and  his  wife  as  principals,  and  Col.  Ross 
as  accessory  before  the  fact. 

The  familiar  preliminary  proceedings  of  a  criminal  trial  having 
come  to  an  end,  the  Commonwealth  introduced  its  witnesses. 

The  first  witness  called  was  Jean  Baptiste. 

The  young  man  at  once  went  and  was  sworn.  He  then  took 
his  stand  facing  the  Commonwealth's  Attorney,  with  the  jury  on 
the  left,  and  the  prisoners  and  their  counsel  on  his  right  behind  the 
long  desk. 

"  Turn  so  as  to  address  the  jury  in  giving  your  evidence,"  said 
Mr.  Dunn.  "  What  is  your  name  ?  " 

"Jean  Baptiste  Maurice,"  said  the  young  man  in  a  respectful 
voice. 

"  Maurice  ?  Then  the  name  Jean  Baptiste  is  not  your  full 
name  ?  " 

"  It  is  not.  My  full  name  is  Jean  Baptiste  Maurice,  as  I  have 
said." 

A  movement  had  passed  through  the  dense  crowd  at  the  utter 
ance  of  the  name  Maurice.  It  plainly  produced  a  sensation. 

"  Where  were  you  born  ?  "  said  Mr.  Dunn. 

"  In  the  City  of  Lima." 

"  How  old  are  you  ?  " 

"  I  am  just  21  years  of  age,  as  I  was  born  in  the  month  of  Oc 
tober,  1859 — the  precise  day  I  do  not  know." 

"  You  call  yourself  Maurice.  The  name  has  an  intimate  con 
nection  with  this  trial.  Who  were  your  father  and  your  moth 
er?" 

"  My  mother  was  Marie  Antoinette  Lascelles  Maurice  and  my 
father  was  John  Maurice,  attache  to  the  American  Legation  at  . 
Lima." 

At  the  name  of  John  Maurice  the  sensation  in  the  crowd  was 
greater  than  before.  Every  eye  was  fixed  upon  the  witness,  and 
Col.  Ross  was  seen  to  lean  forward  and  look  at  him  with  an  aston 
ishment  which  he  made  no  effort  to  conceal.  Dr.  Haworth,  who 
was  not  far  from  him,  had  never  ceased  to  watch  his  adversary,  and 
understood  his  expression  without  difficulty.  That  expression  meant 
"  The  son  of  John  Maurice  and  Antoinette  Lascelles  /  " 

"  Do  you  mean  to  state,"  the  attorney  continued,  "  that  your 
father  was  John  Maurice  of  Mauricewood  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

9 


THE   OPENING  OF   THE    TRIAL. 

"  What  evidence  have  you  to  offer  in  support  of  your  state 
ment  ?  " 

"  The  certificates  from  the  civil  and  church  records  at  Lima  of 
the  marriage  of  my  parents,  and  my  mother's  wedding-ring." 

Jean  drew  from  his  breast  a  folded  paper. 

"  There  are  the  certificates  and  the  ring,"  he  said,  holding  them 
out. 

Mr.  Dunn,  the  attorney,  took  them  and  examined  the  ring.  It 
was  a  plain  gold  band,  on  the  inner  surface  of  which  were  engraved 
the  letters  J.  M.  and  M.  A.  L.,  in  the  form  of  a  monogram. 

"  These  are  the  initials  of  the  names  you  mention — John  Mau 
rice  and  Marie  Antoinette  Lascelles  ?  "  he  said. 

"  Cost  of  engraving — ten  cents  a  letter  ?  "  interpolated  Mr.  Spar 
row,  junior  counsel  for  the  defense,  with  a  gay  chirp. 

Jean  turned  his  head. 

"The  genuineness  of  the  ring  is  another  question,"  said  Mr. 
Sparrow,  hopping  about. 

"  It  is  my  mother's  wedding-ring  !  "  said  Jean  haughtily ;  "  what 
right  have  you  to  question  my  character  ?  " 

"  Or  to  interrupt  the  witness — it  must  be  stopped,"  said  Mr. 
Dunn  curtly. 

"  I  am  not  a  forger !  "  exclaimed  Jean,  looking  over  Mr.  Spar 
row's  head  straight  at  Col.  Ross. 

At  this  apostrophe  Col.  Ross'  color  changed,  but  he  said  noth 
ing  and  continued  to  look  intently  at  the  witness. 

"  Well,  now,"  said  Mr.  Dunn,  leaning  back  with  his  arms  behind 
his  head,  "  as  this  little  matter  is  settled  to  the  satisfaction  of  the 
learned  counsel,  I  will  come  to  the  certificates." 

He  unfolded  the  papers  and  said  to  Jean  : 

"These  are  the  certificates,  you  say,  of  the  marriage  of  your 
parents.  They  are  in  Spanish,  I  see.  Is  there  any  one  in  the  court 
room  who  understands  Spanish  ?  " 

He  looked  around  in  the  midst  of  a  deep  silence. 

Jean  raised  his  finger  and  pointed  straight  at  Col.  Ross. 

"He  understands  Spanish,"  he  said. 

"  That  might  have  occurred  to  me,  as  Col.  Ross  has  resided  in 
South  America." 

Mr.  Sparrow  laughed  gleefully,  and  hopped  about,  rubbing  his 
hands. 

"Not  a  bad. joke— to  apply  to  the  Colonel,"  he  said.    "He  is 


THE  OPENING  OF  THE   TRIAL. 


195 


slightly  interested  in  this  cause,  or  I  would  propose  to  you  to  put 
him  on  the  witness  stand." 

"  I  don't  want  him  on  the  stand  :  I  want  him  where  he  is,"  said 
Mr.  Dunn,  with  his  lazy  smile. 

At  Mr.  Sparrow's  joke  the  crowd  had  laughed  aloud.  It  was 
plain  that  scarcely  a  person  in  the  whole  assembly  believed  in  Col. 
Ross'  guilt. 

"  Will  Col.  Ross,"  said  Mr.  Dunn,  "  be  good  enough  to  tell  the 
court,  in  the  character  of  expert,  if  these  papers  certify  to  what  the 
witness  has  testified,  and  whether  they  are  in  form  ?  " 

"  With  pleasure,  sir,"  said  Col.  Ross,  and  the  papers  were  handed 
across  to  him.  As  he  took  them  a  close  observer  might  have 
noticed  a  slight  tremor  in  his  habitually  firm  hand,  but  this  at  once 
disappeared. 

"  These  papers  are  in  Spanish,  as  you  say,"  he  said  coolly,  after 
examining  them,  "  and  are  civil  and  ecclesiastical  certificates  of  the 
lawful  marriage  of  the  parties." 

"  Of  John  Maurice  and  Marie  Antoinette  Lascelles  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Have  they  marks  of  being  genuine  ?  " 

"  My  client  is  not  on  the  stand  ! "  shouted  Mr.  Sparrow  in  over 
powering  wrath.  "  I  object !  I  object !  I — " 

"  Well,  the  matter  is  of  no  material  importance,"  said  Mr.  Dunn. 
"  As  the  papers  are  stamped  with  the  official  seals  I  suppose  they 
are  all  right.  It  is  not  material.  I  am  not  going  to  ask  the  court 
for  a  commission  to  South  America.  They  manage  that  sort  of 
business  better  in  Washington  !  " 

He  resumed  the  direct  examination  and  said  : 

"  Your  father  married  your  mother  then  in  South  America — I 
have  heard  something  of  that — and  she  died,  I  suppose  ?  " 

"  She  died  soon  after  my  birth,  in  October,  1859." 

"  But  your  father  was  left  to  you  ?  " 

"  He  was  absent  from  the  country  at  the  time." 

"  Poor  fellow ! "  said  Mr.  Dunn,  "  you  must  have  had  a  hard 
time  of  it.  But  your  friends  cared  for  you  ?  " 

"  I  had  none — my  mother  was  a  stranger.  I  was  taken  care  of 
by  an  old  half-breed  woman  named  Juanna  Panza,  who  lives  near 
Lima,  and  had  waited  on  my  mother,  I  believe.  She  was  very  igno 
rant  and  could  scarcely  speak  intelligibly.  I  never  knew  my  father's 
name  until  recently." 


THE   OPENING   OF   THE    TRIAL. 

"  Very  well — that  is  a  straightforward  story,  and  I  for  one  be 
lieve  it." 

"  Your  belief,"  cried  the  irrepressible  Sparrow,  "  is  not — " 

"Well,  as  I  was  saying,"  continued  Mr.  Dunn  negligently,  "  you 
are  then  closely  related,  it  seems,  to  the  estimable  family  so  painfully 
connected  with  the  prosecution.  You  no  doubt  came  from  South 
America  to  visit  your  relatives  ?  " 

"  No,  sir,  I  knew  nothing  of  the  relationship  until  a  few  days 
since.  The  old  woman  had  told  me  nothing,  and  left  me  to  run 
wild,  and  I  afterward  became  a  street  boy.  I  was  taken  and  edu 
cated  by  a  kind  friend,  who  made  me  his  private  secretary,  and  I 
came  to  this  neighborhood  as  his  traveling  companion." 

"  A  kind  friend,  you  say  ?  " 

"  Dr.  Haworth." 

"  Who  is  Dr.  Haworth  ?  " 

"  He  is  a  gentleman  who  lives  near  Lima.  He  was  a  general  in 
the  Peruvian  army,  but  resigned  after  the  war,  and  travels  under  the 
title  of  doctor,  which  he  received  from  a  foreign  university." 

"  He  is  very  much  interested  in  the  trial  of  this  cause,  I  believe  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

Mr.  Dunn  nodded.    He  then  said : 

"  I  will  now  ask  a  question  which  will  probably  save  my  friends 
on  the  other  side  some  trouble." 

Mr.  Shirley  raised  his  head  quietly — Mr.  Sparrow  hopped  up 
and  sat  down. 

"  Has  there  been  any  previous  acquaintance  between  Dr.  Ha 
worth  and  Col.  Ross  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  State  anything  you  know  on  the  subject." 

"  Yes,  state  the  circumstances,"  cried  Mr.  Sparrow. 

"  Col.  Ross  and  Dr.  Haworth,  who  was  at  that  time  Gen.  Ha 
worth,  had  a  personal  encounter  with  cutlasses  in  Callao  harbor," 
said  he.  "  A  market  boat  armed  with  a  torpedo  was  turned  adrift 
and  hauled  in  by  a  Peruvian  steamer.  The  Chilian  ship  then  came 
to  close  quarters  and  a  fight  followed,  in  which,  I  think,  Col.  Ross 
and  Gen.  Haworth  slightly  wounded  each  other." 

"  They  are  not  friends,  then  ?  " 

"  They  are  not." 

"  Why  ?  I  was  a  soldier  once  and  never  felt  any  spite.  Why 
did  Gen.  Haworth  ?  " 


THE    TESTIMONY  OF  JEAN  BAPTISTS.         \gf 

"  He  probably  had  other  causes  for  disliking  Col.  Ross." 

"  What  were  they  ?  " 

"  I  suppose  he  will  tell  you." 

"  Well,  they  may  come  out  in  the  progress  of  the  trial.  I  will 
come  now  to  another  point.  Was  your  father,  John  Maurice,  ac 
quainted  with  Col.  Ross  ?  " 

Mr.  Sparrow  bounded  to  his  feet  and  shook  his  fist  at  the  ceil 
ing.  His  excitement  was  overpowering. 

"  I  object !  "  he  shrilled.  "  Are  we  to  go  into  the  history  of  the 
world  and  all  its  inhabitants !  Are  we  to  have  lugged  into  this 
cause  every —  !  " 

"  Well,  let's  go  to  dinner,"  said  Mr.  Dunn,  laughing  and  looking 
at  his  watch.  "  I'm  hungry." 

This  was  a  cruel  extinguisher  on  Mr.  Sparrow's  eloquence,  but 
as  Judge  Gideon  Bootlack  had  been  kept  from  his  dear  tavern  bar 
for  many  hours,  he  also  consulted  his  watch,  said  "  Hum  ! — ah  ! — 
later  than  I  supposed.  I  will  adjourn  court  until  to-morrow,  gentle- 
men  ;  "  and  the  court  accordingly  adjourned. 

The  crowd  then  dispersed,  and  the  accused  were  reconducted 
to  jail.  Col.  Ross  received  on  his  route  many  evidences  of  popular 
sympathy,  and  bowed  with  his  habitual  courtesy;  but  it  was  after 
ward  remembered  that  he  looked  a  little  pale.  This  was  singular, 
as  he  had  preserved  his  composure  up  to  the  last  question  asked  by 
Mr.  Dunn.  The  long  exercise  had  probably  fatigued  him. 


VIII. 

THE  TESTIMONY  OF  JEAN   BAPTISTE. 

THE  court-room  on  the  next  morning  presented  nearly  the  same 
spectacle.  The  crowd  was  as  dense,  the  curiosity  as  absorbing,  and 
Judge  Bootlack,  fortified  by  a  stiff  constitutional,  was  ready  to  ex 
pound  the  law  and,  if  necessary,  the  Constitution. 

As  soon  as  court  was  opened  Mr.  Sparrow  hopped  to  his  feet. 
He  had  before  him  a  pile  of  law  books  and  a  quire  of  foolscap  con 
taining  the  heads  of  his  intended  discourse — he  had,  in  fact,  re 
mained  up  all  night  preparing  a  few  impromptu  remarks. 

"  May  it  please  your  Honor,"  said  Mr.  Sparrow,  drawing  down 
his  waistcoat  and  clearing  his  throat — 


!9g          THE    TESTIMONY  OF  JEAN  BAPTISTS. 

"  1  withdraw  the  question,"  said  Mr.  Dunn,  yawning ;  "  it  is  ol 
no  importance." 

Mr.  Sparrow  looked  thunderstruck. 

"  My  friend  ought  to  be  obliged  to  me — it  saves  him  trouble," 
said  Mr.  Dunn,  laughing  lazily. 

Mr.  Sparrow  looked  daggers,  which  Mr.  Dunn  responded  to  by 
an  amiable  smile.  He  then  said : 

"  I  suppose  documentary  evidence  is  admissible  in  a  court  of  law, 
your  Honor  ?  " 

"  Documentary  evidence,  sir  ?  "  said  Judge  Bootlack.  "  Certainly, 
sir — it  is,  of  course,  the  best  of  all  evidence,  sir." 

"  To  save  time,  then,  and  before  resuming  the  direct  examina 
tion,  I  will  read  a  deposition  concerning  the  point  referred  to  in  my 
question  asked  yesterday." 

"  A  deposition  ?    Certainly,  sir." 

Then,  fortified  by  the  approval  of  the  court,  Mr.  Dunn  unfolded 
a  document  and  said  : 

"  I  am  obliged  to  apply  to  some  one  in  the  audience  again  to 
read  this.  It  is  Spanish  or  some  foreign  lingo.  I  am  only  acquainted 
with  English,  Greek,  Latin,  and  Hebrew — my  education  was  neg 
lected." 

This  was  appreciated  by  the  crowd,  who  laughed,  and  Mr.  Dunn 
added : 

"  It  is  really  giving  Col.  Ross  too  much  trouble ;  perhaps  the 
witness  Baptiste,  or  rather  Maurice,  who  has  lived  in  South  Amer 
ica,  might  interpret  for  us,  and  Col.  Ross  might  say  if  he  translates 
correctly.  Call  Jean  Baptiste  Maurice." 

Jean  came  forward. 

"  You  understand  Spanish  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Well,  translate  this  paper  into  English  for  the  court." 

Jean  took  the  paper  and  said  : 

"  It  is  headed,  '  Deposition  of  Pedro  Nunez,  formerly  master-of- 
arms,  now  retired." 

At  the  name  of  Pedro  Nunez,  Col.  Ross  visibly  changed  color, 
but  said  nothing. 

"Proceed,"  said  Mr.  Dunn;  "the  object  is  to  show  that  Col. 
Ross  and  John  Maurice  were  personal  enemies  in  South  America." 

"  That  has  nothing  to  do  with  this  case ! "  cried  Mr.  Sparrow. 
"  Nobody  murdered  John  Maurice ! " 


THE    TESTIMONY  OF  JEAN  BAPTISTE.         109 

"  What  I  mean  to  show  is  that  a  man  supposed  to  be  John  Mau 
rice  was  murdered  at  Mauricewood  on  the  night  of  May  7,  1860," 
said  Mr.  Dunn,  coolly.  "  Translate  the  deposition." 

Jean  did  so.  What  Pedro  Nunez  deposed  to  was  that  some 
time  in  the  year  1858  or  1859  Senor  John  Maurice  and  Senor  Fer 
dinand  Ross  had  fought  with  swords  obtained  from  his  fencing  gal 
lery.  From  an  altercation  between  the  parties,  which  took  place  in 
his  presence,  he  became  aware  that  the  cause  of  the  quarrel  was  the 
marked  attention  paid  to  Mrs.  Maurice  by  Senor  Ross,  who  had 
been  acquainted  with  her  before  her  marriage.  Mr.  Maurice  had 
ended  by  slapping  Senor  Ross'  face,  and  in  the  encounter  which  fol 
lowed  ran  him  through  the  shoulder,  which  put  an  end  to  the  affair 
— soon  after  which  Senor  Maurice  left  the  country. 

"  Is  that  all  ?  "  said  Mr.  Dunn. 

"  There  is  the  signature  of  the  notary  Espartero  before  whom 
the  deposition  was  taken,  and  a  certificate  of  the  authorities  to  the 
official  character  of  Espartero  and  the  credibility  of  the  deponent." 

"  Very  well,"  said  Mr.  Dunn.  "  I  will  now  resume  the  direct 
examination  of  the  witness,  Jean  Baptiste  Maurice." 

He  looked  as  he  spoke  at  Col.  Ross,  whose  face  was  as  black  as 
night. 

"  We  will  proceed  to  the  testimony  connecting  the  principals  and 
accessory  in  the  guilt  of  the  murder  of  James  Maurice,"  said  Mr. 
Dunn. 

He  turned  to  Jean  and  said  : 

"  Have  you  been  present  on  any  occasion  when  the  accused  in 
this  case,  principal  and  accessory,  had  any  conversation  together  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  State  the  occasion  and  the  circumstances  according  to  the  best 
of  your  recollection." 

Jean  thereupon  described  the  night  interview  between  Col.  Ross 
and  the  woman  in  the  hills.  The  subject  of  their  conversation,  he 
said,  was  Dr.  Haworth's  visit  to  the  house  a  short  time  before,  and 
Col.  Ross  had  warned  the  woman  that  he  was  tracking  her,  and  to 
take  care.  They  then  went  into  the  house  where  Wilkins  himself 
then  was,  and  whispered  together,  after  which  Col.  Ross  came  out 
and  rode  away. 

At  this  direct  testimony  to  a  private  understanding  between  the 
Wilkins  people  and  Col.  Ross  the  crowd  moved  to  and  fro,  and  a 
buzz  rose  from  it.  Mr.  Dunn  reflected  for  a  moment  and  then  said : 


2oo          THE    TESTIMONY  OF  JEAV  BAPTISTE. 

•"  I  understand  you  to  say  that  there  was  a  direct  reference  made 
by  Col.  Ross  in  this  night  interview  to  the  presence  of  Dr.  Haworth 
in  the  neighborhood  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  With  the  view  of  tracking  some  one  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  tracking  the  woman." 

"  Was  Dr.  Haworth's  name  mentioned  ?  " 

"  It  was  not,  but  the  person  was  described  by  Col.  Ross  in  his 
first  question  to  the  woman." 

"  Well,  it  seems  that  there  is  no  love  lost  between  the  parties. 
Has  any  other  fact  come  to  your  knowledge  going  to  show  that  Col. 
Ross  was — well,  let  us  say  tracking  Dr.  Haworth  ?  " 

"  A  spy  was  employed  to  watch  his  movements." 

"  A  spy  ?  " 

"  A  young  woman  of  this  town — Miss  Burns." 

"Ah  !    State  what  you  know  about  that." 

"  Miss  Burns  was  engaged  as  a  seamstress  at  Mauricewood,  and 
watched  Dr.  Haworth,  writing  regular  reports  to  some  one  here  and 
receiving  replies.  She  also  came  into  Dr.  Haworth's  room  one  night 
and  tried  to  open  his  traveling  valise." 

"  Well,  that  is  interesting.    Do  I  understand  that  you  saw  her  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  You  must  have  taken  her  for  a  ghost ;  an  attractive  feminine 
article  as  she  must  have  appeared  in  her — well,  her  night  raiment  ?  " 

The  crowd,  holding  its  breath,  had  the  immense  relief  of  a  laugh. 

"  She  was  dressed.     I  saw  her,  as  I  was  wide  awake." 

"  What  was  she  looking  for  ?  " 

"  Papers,  I  suppose." 

"  To  show  the  object  of  Dr.  Haworth's  presence  here  ?  " 

"  I  suppose  that  was  her  object." 

"  Well— you  spoke  of  letters  written  by  Miss  Burns,  and  of  her 
replies  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  How  did  you  ascertain  the  facts  you  state  ?  " 

"  I  found  the  correspondence." 

"Where?" 

"  In  a  spot  in  the  Mauricewood  grounds.  The  messenger  who 
came  for  them  and  brought  answers  was  the  man  Wilkins." 

"Ah!  Well,  that  is  an  interesting  fact.  You  say  you  found 
the  correspondence.  Did  you  destroy  it  ?  " 


THE   TESTIMONY  OP  JEAN  BAPTlSTE.        20l 

"  Dr.  Haworth  meant  to  burn  it  and  threw  it  in  the  fire,  but  I 
snatched  it  out.  Here  it  is." 

Jean  produced  the  letter  written  by  Miss  Burns  and  the  re 
sponse. 

"  I  see  mention  of  an  anonymous  letter,"  said  Mr.  Dunn,  coolly. 
"  Was  that  sent  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  What  was  the  result  ?  " 

"  Everybody  laughed  at  it,  and  Dr.  Haworth  seemed  to  despise 
it." 

"  I  suppose  he  did.  I  have  not  heard  of  many  respectable  anony 
mous  correspondents  in  my  time.  I  will  read  this  interesting  litera 
ture  aloud  now  for  the  benefit  of  all  the  world  and  his  wife." 

"  This  gentleman  seems  fond  of  his  joke  and  his  forged  letters ! " 
said  Mr.  Sparrow  furiously. 

"Well,"  said  Mr.  Dunn,  lazily,  "I  don't  enjoy  these  forensic 
struggles  as  much  as  I  used  to  do  when  I  was  young.  They  bore 
me,  generally  speaking,  and  I  like  to  get  in  a  laugh  whenever  it  is 
possible." 

He  then  read  the  letters,  and  laying  them  on  the  table,  said : 

"  One  thing  seems  plain — that  somebody,  whoever  he  or  she  was, 
was  deeply  interested  in  Dr.  Haworth.  Perhaps  it  was  some  fair 
admirer,  but  I  think  the  letters  show  that  he  was  of  the  male  sex. 
Job  Wilkins  at  all  events  seems  to  have  been  a  mutual  friend." 

Col.  Ross  was  leaning  back  in  his  chair  with  an  expression  of 
scorn  and  defiance.  He  said  nothing,  but  his  face  seemed  to  indi 
cate  that  he  regarded  the  whole  affair  with  contempt. 

"Well,"  said  Mr.  Dunn,  "let  this  point  pass  for  the  moment. 
We  will  have  Miss  Burns  in  court,  and  perhaps  her  town  friend. 
You  can  take  the  witness,  gentlemen." 

For  three  hours  Jean  was  subjected  to  an  exhausting  cross-ex 
amination,  and  all  the  points  brought  out  in  the  examination-in-chief 
were  touched  upon  by  the  unerring  acumen  of  Mr.  Shirley.  Mr. 
Sparrow  seemed  to  have  vanished  for  the  time  from  the  case — was 
actually  silenced. 

The  cross-examination  resulted  in  nothing.  Jean  repeated  his 
testimony  and  the  attempt  to  shake  it  in  any  manner  entirely  failed. 
If  he  was  perjuring  himself  he  was  doing  so  too  skillfully  to  be  de 
tected.  As  to  the  effect  of  his  evidence  on  the  jury,  nothing  was 
known ;  and  the  audience  made  no  demonstrations.  Col.  Ross  pre- 


202   DK.    SEA  BRIGHT  AttD  OTHERS  ARE  EXAMINED. 

served  a  grim  silence  ;  and  when  the  proceedings  ended  for  the  day, 
and  the  court  adjourned  to  the  next,  it  was  impossible  to  say  what 
people  thought,  or  what  was  coming  next. 


IX. 

DR.  SEABRIGHT  AND   OTHERS   ARE  EXAMINED. 

WHEN  court  opened  on  the  next  day  the  crowd  was  if  possible 
greater  than  on  the  days  preceding.  The  room  was  a  sea  of  heads, 
and  at  the  doors  and  windows  swarming  black  faces  served  as  a 
background. 

Looking  at  these  friends  of  his  unjustly  banished  from  their 
proper  sphere — the  front — Judge  Bootlack  sighed.  It  was  a  viola 
tion  of  civil  rights.  Did  not  the  American  Constitution  recognize 
the  equality  of  all  citizens  ?  One  prominent  gentleman  of  color  was 
so  well  dressed  and  looked  so  influential  that  the  Judge  meditated 
the  propriety  of  inviting  him  to  come  up  and  take  a  seat  beside  him 
on  the  bench.  It  would  tell,  in  a  political  point  of  view,  and  make 
him  popular  with  the  dusky  "  allies,"  but  Mr.  Dunn  was  there  to 
laugh  in  his  terrible  way,  and  perhaps  say  something  sarcastic,  so 
the  Judge  refrained. 

Mr.  Dunn  seemed  in  high  spirits,  and  spent  a  few  minutes  jok 
ing  with  his  friend  Sparrow.  With  Mr.  Shirley  he  was  quiet  and 
courteous — looking  at  and  addressing  him  with  the  respect  felt  by  a 
swordsman  for  an  adversary  worthy  of  his  steel. 

Then  the  court  was  opened  and  there  was  a  profound  silence. 

Mr.  Dunn  looked  over  his  memorandum  lying  on  the  table,  rub 
bing  his  hands  negligently. 

"  Miss  Burns  is  next  on  my  list — the  handsome  young  mail  car- 
rieress,  or  postmistress,"  he  said ;  "shall  we  call  her?  I  don't  want 
her,  but  we  may  as  well  ask  her  what  she  knows  about  the  private 
postal  service.  Call  Miss  Burns." 

Miss  Burns  was  called  and  came  forward.  She  was  in  gorgeous 
array  and  giggled  behind  her  handkerchief  as  she  was  sworn. 

A  farce  followed,  to  the  great  delight  of  the  crowd.  Miss  Burns 
represented  her  performances  at  Mauricewood  as  a  mere  jest.  Her 
friend,  Miss  Larkins,  of  the  town,  had  a  friend  who — here  Miss 
Burns  giggled — well,  who  took  an  interest  in  Dr.  Haworth.  This 


DR.  SEABR1GHT  AND  OTHERS  ARE  EXAMINED.     203 

friend  was  a  Miss  Somebody — that  was  all  she  knew  about  her. 
She  was  jealous,  it  seemed,  as  there  was  a  nice  young  lady  at  Mau- 
ricewood  of  whom  the  Doctor  was  fond ;  and  when  Miss  Larkins, 
acting  for  Miss  Somebody,  proposed  to  her,  Miss  Burns,  to  discover 
what  was  going  on,  she  agreed — it  was  a  good  joke — and  put  her 
letters  under  a  tree.  Had  she  gone  into  Dr.  Haworth's  room  at 
night  ?  What  an  idea  ?  She  did  walk  in  her  sleep  sometimes — it 
was  a  bad  habit — she  wished  she  could  get  over  it.  But — go  into 
a  gentleman's  room  ?  She  would  cheerfully  expire  before  commit 
ting  such  an  impropriety !  and  Miss  Burns  giggled. 

Mr.  Dunn  laughed  in  response — that  jocose  Mr.  Dunn. 

"  Well,  that's  rather  interesting,"  he  said,  "  and  sounds  like  a 
dime-novel.  Jealousy — mystery — nocturnal  somnambulists  —  and 
unknown  '  somebodies.'  Perhaps  Miss  Larkins  might  tell  us  some 
thing." 

Miss  Burns  regretted  that  Miss  Larkins  had  been  called  away 
to  a  distant  part  of  the  country  by  the  illness  of  one  of  her  sis 
ters. 

"  I  thought  her  sister  would  be  unwell,  or  some  other  member 
of  her  family,"  said  Mr.  Dunn,  nodding  his  head.  "  I  have  no  fur 
ther  questions  to  ask  Miss  Burns." 

And  as  the  defense  had  none,  Miss  Burns  retired,  with  a  last 
giggle. 

"  Call  Mr.  Timothy  Maurice,"  said  Mr.  Dunn. 

And  Mr.  Tim  Maurice  came  forward,  was  sworn,  and  took  the 
stand. 

"  Mr.  Maurice,"  said  Mr.  Dunn,  resuming  his  seriousness,  "  will 
you  state  all  that  you  know  of  the  circumstances  attending  the  mur 
der  of  your  brother,  Mr.  James  Maurice  ?  " 

Uncle  Tim  did  so  in  a  clear  and  succinct  manner.  The  murder 
cry  in  the  night,  his  alarm,  the  scene  in  the  apartment,  his  hastening 
to  procure  the  brandy,  and  his  meeting  with  the  woman  Pitts,  with 
her  hands  under  her  apron.  The  whole  scene  was  painted  in  the 
simplest  but  most  effective  manner ;  and  Uncle  Tim's  pain  at  the 
recital  evidently  affected  the  crowd. 

"  Mr.  James  Maurice,  you  say,  was  dead  when  you  returned  ?  " 
said  Mr.  Dunn.  "What  theory  did  you  form — the  question  is 
proper — of  the  cause  of  his  death  ?  " 

Mr.  Sparrow  was  about  to  hop  up,  but  Mr.  Shirley  restrained 
him. 


204  DR-    SEARRIGHT  AND   OTHERS  ARE  EXAMINED. 

"  I  naturally  concluded  that  some  one  had  murdered  him,"  said 
Uncle  Tim. 

"  Did  you  see  any  weapon  ?  " 

"  Yes,  a  hammer,  lying  beside  the  bed.  A  glove  was  also  found 
which  belonged  to  no  one  in  the  establishment." 

"  Which  hammer  and  glove,  I  understand,  were  supposed  to  be 
the  property  of  Mr.  Henry  Ducis,  who  was  convicted  of  the  mur 
der." 

"  I  never  supposed  so ;  I  don't  believe  Mr.  Ducis  was  guilty." 

"  It  is  important  about  the  woman.  I  think  you  said  her  name 
was  Pitts,  and  that  she  was  a  servant  or  housekeeper." 

"  Something  of  both." 

"  She  had  her  hands  under  her  apron,  and  the  sum  of  money  you 
mentioned  had  disappeared  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  When  you  reached  the  apartment  was  the  window  open  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

v"  It  is  natural  to  suppose,  as  you  believed  Mr.  Maurice  had  been 
murdered,  that  you  connected  the  open  window  with  the  murderer." 

"  I  certainly  did." 

"  With  any  person  in  particular  ?     With —  ?  " 

Mr.  Dunn  caught  the  fixed  eye  of  Mr.  Shirley. 

"  I  am  not  going  to  ask  the  witness  if  he  suspected  Col.  Ross 
or  any  person,  by  name,"  said  Mr.  Dunn.  "  I  have  the  right  to  ask 
the  witness  what  impression  was  made  upon  him  at  the  time." 

"  Yes,"  said  Mr.  Shirley. 

"  I  suspected  Wilkins,  who  had  been  my  brother's  manager  and 
had  quarreled  with  him,  and  also  the  woman  Pitts,  now  his  wife.  I 
believe  that  he  murdered  my  brother  and  that  the  woman  was  his 
accomplice." 

"  Well,"  said  Mr.  Dunn,  "  there  is  no  statute,  I  believe,  against 
putting  two  and  two  together.  The  friends  of  Wilkins  are  known. 
They  pay  him  visits  at  night  and  Wilkins  himself  carries  letters  for 
'  somebody '  to  put  in  trees.  Now  a  word  on  one  or  two  other 
points.  Mr.  Maurice,  will  you  describe  the  chamber  in  which  your 
brother  was  murdered  ?  " 

"  It  was  on  the  first  floor,  opening  on  the  veranda." 

"  Was  it  his  habit  to  sleep  there  ?  " 

"  Yes,  but  as  it  was  the  best  chamber  in  the  house  it  had  been 
arranged  as  the  bridal  chamber  of  my  niece,  Mrs.  John  Maurice. 


.  DR.  SEABRIGHT  AND  OTHERS  ARE  EXAMINED.     205 

The  change  was  made  on  the  night  of  the  wedding,  and  my  niece's 
bridal  presents  which  had  been  exposed  on  the  bed  were  taken  up 
stairs." 

"  For  some  days,  then,  before  the  night  of  Mrs.  Maurice's  mar 
riage  this  room  was  supposed  to  be  designed  for  her  bridal  apart' 
ment  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  Is  it  not  possible,  therefore,  that  the  murderer  supposed  he  was 
striking  at  Mr.  John  Maurice!" 

"  At  my  nephew  ?     He  had  not  an  enemy  in  the  world." 

"  Was  the  room  well  lit  ?  " 

"  There  was  only  a  taper  swimming  on  oil — the  candle  had  been 
put  out." 

"  The  result  of  which  was  half  darkness  ?  " 

"More  than  half  darkness." 

"  More  than  half  darkness,"  repeated  Mr.  Dunn.  "You  say  that 
all  this  occurred  late  on  the  night  of  the  wedding.  Do  you  remem 
ber  what  guests  were  present  ?  " 

"  Nearly  all  the  neighborhood." 

"  Were  there  exceptions  ?  " 

"  I  remember  none  of  our  friends  except  Col.  Ross,  who  was 
then  a  young  man.  I  think  I  heard  that  he  was  absent  from  the 
country. 

"  He  was  at  the  time  an  officer  in  the  navy,  I  believe  ?  " 

"  Yes,  but  was  frequently  at  home." 

"  Were  he  and  your  brother  James  Maurice  friendly  toward  each 
other  ?  " 

"  Well,  they  had  at  one  time  a  misunderstanding,  but  I  do  not 
believe  it  amounted  to  anything." 

"  They  were  not  what  you  would  call  enemies  ?  " 

"  I  should  not  call  them  enemies." 

"  Your  nephew,  Mr.  John  Maurice,  had  no  enemies  either,  you 
say  ?  " 

"  I  never  heard  that  he  had  one  in  the  world.  He  was  most 
amiable,  though  a  high-tempered  man  when  he  was  aroused ;  an 
affair  in  South  America  with  Col.  Ross,  which  has  been  deposed  to, 
is  the  only  quarrel  of  his  I  have  ever  heard  of." 

"  I  understand  you  to  say  that  you  never  thought  that  Mr.  Ducis 
was  guilty?" 

"  I  have  never  thought  so  for  a  moment." 


DR.    SEA  BRIGHT  AND   OTHERS  ARE  EXAMINED. 

"  Take  the  witness,  gentlemen,"  said  Mr.  Dunn. 

The  cross-examination  brought  out  no  new  facts,  and  Mr.  Tim 
Maurice  retired,  when  the  Prosecuting  Attorney  called  Dr.  Seabright. 

"  You  were  the  family  physician  of  the  Maurices  at  the  time  of 
the  murder  of  Mr.  Maurice,  I  believe,  Doctor  ?  "  said  Mr.  Dunn. 

"Yes,"  growled  Dr.  Seabright. 

"  Were  you  sent  for  on  the  occasion  of  the  murder  ?  " 

"  Of  course— people  say  we  doctors  kill,  so  we  are  expected  to 
bring  the  dead  to  life." 

"  Mr.  Maurice  was  dead  when  you  arrived  ?  " 

"  Stone  dead." 

"  What  was  the  cause  of  his  death — a  blow  with  a  hammer  or 
other  weapon  ?  " 

"  No." 

"  What  then  ?  " 

"  He  was  strangled." 

A  murmur  rose  from  the  crowd. 

"  Strangled  ! "  said  Mr.  Dunn,  quietly.  "  What  grounds  have 
you  for  such  an  opinion  ?  " 

"  I  saw  the  marks  on  his  neck.  He  was  strangled,  I  say— -gar- 
roted,  as  the  Spanish  people  call  it." 

"  The  experts  on  the  former  trial  declared,  I  am  told,  that  he  died 
from  a  blow." 

Dr.  Seabright  flamed  out : 

"  The  expert  asses  may  have  said  so  !  I  am  not  responsible  for 
what  that  cattle  say !  " 

"  Well — the  deceased  came  to  his  death,  then,  by  strangling,  or 
the  garrote,  to  use  your  expression.  That  is  a  curious  idea.  Ameri 
can  murderers  generally  resort  to  a  knife  or  revolver." 

"  I  did  not  say  the  murderer  was  an  American — I  know  nothing 
about  it." 

"  Not  an  American  ?  Oh !  I  understand.  You  mean  that  he 
was  a  foreigner  or  a  person  who  had  lived  abroad — in  Spain  or 
Spanish  countries." 

"  I  know  nothing  about  it !  I  only  know  that  James  Maurice 
was  strangled  !  garroted  !  There  was  no  knife  or  revolver  about  it." 

"  And  yet  no  better  weapons  could  be  found  for  putting  a  man 
out  of  the  way." 

"  They  make  noise — if  you  want  my  idea." 

"  Noise  ?  " 


DR.  SEA  BRIGHT  AND  OTHERS  ARE  EXAMINED. 


2O7 


"  Certainly !  People  hear  a  pistol  shot,  and  a  man  who  is  stabbed 
cries  out  if  he  is  not  dumb." 

"  I  understand,  then,  that  your  opinion  is  that  the  murder  was 
committed  by  a  skillful  person — one  who  meant  to  do  his  work 
quietly,  without  noise,  and  go  away  as  he  came." 

"Yes." 

"  There  were  no  indications  of  a  blow  with  a  hammer  or  other 
heavy  instrument?" 

"  There  were  none — to  account  for  his  death.  A  slight  abrasure 
was  visible  under  the  hair,  but  it  amounted  to  nothing.  He  may 
have  been  struck  afterward.  The  real  cause  of  his  death  was  the 
gar  rote." 

Mr.  Dunn  arranged  his  papers  and  reflected. 

"  I  am  curious  about  this  garrote  business,"  he  said.  "  It  is  the 
Spanish  method  of  execution,  I  am  told,  and  breaks  a  man's  neck 
better  than  a  rope.  How  does  it  work  ?  Can  anybody  tell  me — 
any  one  familiar  with  the  operation  ?  " 

He  looked  round  and  incidentally  glanced  at  Col.  Ross,  who  had 
grown  rather  pale.  He  was  seated  behind  Mr.  Shirley,  paring  the 
nails  of  one  of  his  white  hands.  The  hand  shook  a  little ;  then,  as 
Mr.  Dunn  resumed  his  examination  of  the  witness,  the  tremor  dis 
appeared. 

"  Well,  Doctor,"  said  Mr.  Dunn,  "  I  believe  I  have  no  further 
questions  to  ask  you.  Mr.  Maurice  was  strangled,  you  say — you 
saw  the  marks  of  the  garrote  on  his  neck.  But  he  was  not  dead 
when  his  brother  came  in  ?  " 

"  He  died  from  syncope — he  was  a  man  of  feeble  health." 

"  The  hammer  found  was  not  the  death  weapon,  then — the  one 
said  to  have  been  the  property  of  Mr.  Ducis  ?  " 

"  Mr.  Ducis  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  affair.  He  was  as  inno 
cent  as  the  babe  unborn  !  The  expert  asses  and  the  donkeys  that 
tried  him  were  the  cause  of  his  conviction  !  " 

"  You  seem  to  have  been  a  friend  of  Mr.  Ducis  ?  " 

"  I  was ;  he  was  the  noblest  man  on  earth,  and  as  innocent  as 
you  are." 

Mr.  Dunn  nodded. 

"  I  understand,  then,  your  agency  in  arresting  two  of  the  accused 
parties." 

"  That  was  it.  As  soon  as  I  had  information  I  never  rested  until 
I  had  them  in  jail." 


2O8  DR.   HA  WORTH'S  C 'UR 10 US  FANCY. 

"  Who  gave  you  the  information  ?  " 

"Dr.  Haworth." 

"  Who  is  Dr.  Haworth  ?  " 

"  He  is  Dr.  Haworth,  of  South  America." 

"  How  is  he  interested  in  this  affair  ?  " 

"  You  can  ask  him." 

"  That's  true.    You  have  met  him  frequently,  I  suppose  ?  " 

"  A  number  of  times — I  was  at  Mauricewood  and  saw  him  yes 
terday." 

"  He  is  on  a  visit  to  the  family  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  And  a  suitor,  I  understand,  of  Miss  Maurice  ?  " 

"  I  understand  so." 

Mr.  Shirley  listened  with  profound  astonishment,  looking  at  Mr. 
Dunn. 

"  Can  you  inform  the  jury  whether  Col.  Ross  has  been  a  frequent 
visitor  to  Mauricewood  this  autumn  ?  " 

"  I  believe  he  has." 

"  He  is  also  a  suitor  for  the  hand  of  Miss  Maurice,  I  think  ?  " 
said  Mr.  Dunn  carelessly. 

Mr.  Shirley  elevated  his  eyebrows  and  looked  fixedly  at  Mr. 
Dunn. 

"  I  think  I  have  heard  so." 

"  So  that  it  is  reasonable  to  conclude  that  Dr.  Haworth  is  not 
friendly  to  Col.  Ross  ?  " 

Mr.  Shirley  looked  inexpressibly  puzzled. 

"  Probably  he  is  not,"  said  Dr.  Seabright. 

"  Well,  that  perhaps  explains  Dr.  Haworth's  interest  in  this  trial, 
so  far  as  one  person  is  concerned,"  said  Mr.  Dunn,  picking  his  teeth. 
"  You  can  take  the  witness,  gentlemen." 

But  the  counsel  for  the  defense  were  in  consultation.  Mr.  Shir 
ley  had  become  composed,  but  Mr.  Sparrow  with  difficulty  sup 
pressed  his  agitation.  He  gesticulated,  whispered  hoarsely,  and 
then,  rising,  said : 

"  We  have  no  questions  to  ask  the  witness." 

"  Well,  I'm  glad  of  it,"  said  Mr.  Dunn,  with  his  lazy  smile.  "  I 
attended  a  Readjuster  gathering  last  night,  and  feel  rather  exhausted. 
I  should  like  to  procure  a  toddy  or  julep  and  a  little  dinner.  I  move 
an  adjournment  to  this  evening — say  at  6." 

The  court  promptly  acquiesced.    The  mention  of  toddy  proba« 


DR.  HAWORTH' S   TESTIMONY. 


2O9 


bly  acted  on  its  nerves.  Proclamation  was  therefore  ordered  by 
Judge  Bootlack  that  the  court  would  adjourn  to  meet  in  the  evening 
at  6  o'clock. 

"  Is  Dr.  Haworth  here  ?  "  said  Mr.  Dunn. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  said  Dr.  Haworth,  coming  out  of  the  crowd. 

"  I  will  call  you  next,  Doctor,"  said  Mr.  Dunn ;  "  and  now  I'll 
go  and  look  up  that  toddy.  Are  you  going  my  way,  Judge  ?  " 


X. 

DR.  HAWORTH'S  TESTIMONY. 

IF  the  court-room  was  a  striking  spectacle  during  the  morning 
session  it  was  much  more  striking  at  night. 

When  Judge  Bootlack,  in  a  thoroughly  comfortable  state  of  mind 
and  body,  took  his  seat  on  the  bench  it  was  already  dark,  and  can 
dles  had  been  lit.  One  had  been  placed  in  front  of  his  Honor,  light 
ing  up  his  ruby  nose ;  another  beside  the  clerk,  and  two  or  three  on 
the  desk  in  front  of  the  counsel  for  the  accused.  In  the  great  room 
they  made  only  a  feeble  glimmer,  however,  and  outside  the  circle  of 
light  there  was  half  darkness. 

In  this  half  darkness  moved  to  and  fro  the  densely  packed  crowd. 
From  time  to  time  a  murmur  rose  from  it.  The  dusky  faces  were 
full  of  expectation.  The  officers  of  the  court  could  scarcely  make 
their  way.  From  this  mass,  undulating  to  and  fro,  no  one  could 
have  been  dragged  out  it  seemed  if  he  or  she  had  fainted  and  was 
in  danger  of  suffocation. 

The  court  was  opened,  and  Mr.  Dunn  with  a  cheerful  counte 
nance  called  Dr.  Haworth. 

Dr.  Haworth  at  once  came  forward  and  was  sworn,  after  which 
he  took  up  a  position  facing  the  jury.  His  expression  was  composed, 
and  he  was  clad  as  usual  in  a  neat  and  unassuming  manner.  He 
glanced  around  him  naturally  and  was  observed  to  fix  his  eyes  for 
a  moment  intently  upon  Col.  Ross,  who,  seated  behind  his  counsel, 
returned  the  look  with  the  same  intentness. 

"  Your  name  is  Dr.  Haworth  ?  "  said  Mr.  Dunn,  leaning  back  in 
his  arm-chair. 

"  It  is  the  name  I  call  myself  by,"  was  the  reply. 

"  What  is  your  real  name  ?  " 


2IQ  DR.    If  A  WORTH'S    TESTIMONY. 

"Henry  Haworth  Duels,"  said  Dr.  Haworth  in  his  composed 
voice. 

"  Ah  !  Ducis  ! — Henry  Haworth  Ducisf  " 

"Yes ;  I  am  the  only  son  of  Henry  Ducis,  who  was  convicted  of 
the  murder  of  James  Maurice  and  died  of  misery  and  despair  in  con 
sequence  of  that  conviction." 

The  crowd  moved  to  and  fro,  and  a  vague  sound  rose  from  it — 
then  there  was  silence  again. 

As  Dr.  Haworth  replied  to  the  question  he  turned  his  head 
slowly,  fixed  his  eyes  upon  Col.  Ross,  who  had  grown  suddenly  pale, 
and  said : 

"  My  name  will  probably  explain  the  interest  I  take  in  this  case, 
and  why  I  have  used  every  exertion  to  bring  the  real  murderers  of 
James  Maurice  to  trial  and  punishment." 

"  Yes,"  said  Mr.  Dunn  quietly,  "  but  your  statement  is  an  extra 
ordinary  one,  to  say  the  least  of  it." 

"  I  was  aware  that  it  would  surprise  the  jury." 

"  If  your  name  is  really  Ducis,  why  do  you  call  yourself  Ha 
worth  ?  " 

"  It  was  the  family  name  of  my  mother." 

"  Well,  that  partially  explains  the  fact  of  its  adoption ;  but  why 
not  bear  your  own  name,  Ducis  ?  It  is  an  honorable  name — there 
are  very  few  people  who  believe  that  it  is  not." 

"  I  have  a  good  reason." 

"  What  is  it  ?  " 

"My  father's  command — as  he  was  dying." 

A  profound  silence  followed  the  words.  The  vast  audience  did 
not  move  a  muscle. 

"  As  he  was  dying — your  father,  Mr.  Henry  Ducis  ?  " 

"  Yes  :  it  was  his  last  injunction  to  me." 

Mr.  Dunn  seemed  to  reflect  for  a  moment  on  this  singular  re 
sponse  of  the  witness.  He  then  said  : 

"  This  is  all  rather  strange,  Doctor — tell  us  about  it.  It  would 
be  better,  I  suppose,  to  leave  you  to  tell  your  story  in  your  own  way, 
and  not  to  worry  you  with  questions.  My  learned  brother — or 
brethren,  as  there  are  two — on  the  other  side  will  take  care  of  that 
part  of  the  business.  I  will  ask  you,  therefore,  to  tell  the  jury  all 
the  circumstances,  as  I  need  not  say  they  will  affect  the  value  of 
your  testimony." 

"  I  will  do  so  if  the  jury  wish." 


DR.  HA  WORTH'S   TESTIMONY.  211 

It  was  not  doubtful  what  the  jury  wished.  They  were  looking 
at  him  with  the  deepest  interest  and  curiosity,  like  the  whole  audi 
ence.  Even  the  counsel  for  the  defense  exhibited  unmistakable  sur 
prise.  Col.  Ross  was  behind  them  in  the  deep  shadow  and  his  face 
was  thus  hidden. 

"  I  think  the  jury  will  like  to  hear  all  about  it,"  said  Mr.  Dunn, 
in  a  matter-of-fact  manner.  "  So  go  ahead,  Doctor.  You  are  the 
son,  you  say,  of  Henry  Ducis,  convicted  twenty  years  ago  of  the 
murder  of  Mr.  Maurice  ?  " 

"Yes,  sir.  He  had  no  other  children,"  said  Dr.  Haworth,  "and 
as  my  mother  was  dead  I  was  his  only  companion.  I  was  at  the 
time  about  fourteen  years  of  age,  and  the  natural  result  of  intimate 
association  with  a  person  of  my  father's  character  was  a  very  great 
devotion  to  him." 

"  Everybody  will  understand  that,"  said  Mr.  Dunn.  "I  was  not 
acquainted  with  Mr.  Ducis,  but  I  have  heard  the  highest  opinion  of 
him  expressed  by  all  who  knew  him." 

"  Including  the  Maurice  family,"  said  Uncle  Tim  in  a  distinct 
tone  from  his  place  in  the  crowd. 

Mr.  Sparrow  hopped  to  his  feet. 

"  I  protest  against  these  interruptions ! "  he  cried,  looking  indig 
nant. 

"Well,"  said  Mr.  Dunn  lazily,  "they  are  rather  irregular,  but  I, 
for  one,  in  my  character  of  a  citizen  of  this  county  am  glad  to  hear 
that  the  family  of  the  murdered  man  scout  the  idea  that  he  was  put 
to  death  by  a  man  like  Henry  Ducis." 

"  Hem !  "  said  Judge  Bootlack,  with  dignity ;  "  the  witness  will 
continue  his  testimony." 

"  Unless  my  friend  over  the  way  would  prefer  to  have  him  muz 
zled,"  said  Mr.  Dunn  with  a  sarcastic  smile.  "  You  can  go  on,  Doc 
tor." 

Dr.  Haworth  had  quietly  waited  and  now  resumed  his  testimony. 

"  I  have  been  asked  to  explain,"  he  said,  "  the  grounds  for  my 
adoption  of  the  name  of  Haworth  instead  of  my  proper  name,  and 
I  understand  the  jury  to  wish  information  on  that  subject,  as  the 
fact  affects  my  testimony." 

The  jurymen  nodded,  and  Mr.  Sparrow  subsided  in  great  dis 
gust. 

"  I  will  continue  then,"  said  Dr.  Haworth  composedly.  "  I  was 
fourteen  years  old  and  living  with  my  father  on  his  estate  in  the 


212-  />*•    HA  WORTH'S   TESTIMONY. 

lower  end  of  this  county  when  the  murder  of  Mr.  Maurice  took  place, 
I  first  heard  of  it  from  the  servants — if  there  is  any  startling  news 
they  discover  it  quickly.  What  I  heard  was  that,  on  the  night  be 
fore,  Mr.  Maurice  had  been  murdered  in  his  bed — by  some  unknown 
person,  with  the  design  of  robbing  him  it  was  supposed." 

"  What  you  heard  is  not  testimony,"  cried  the  irrepressible  Spar 
row. 

"  Good  heavens ! "  said  Mr.  Dunn,  "  are  we  in  a  court  of  law  or 
a  Readjuster  meeting  ?  I  have  heard  of  a  debating  society  in  which 
the  rule  was  that  only  four  people  should  talk  at  once,  but — " 

Thus  extinguished,  Mr.  Sparrow  subsided,  with  muttered  pro 
tests,  and  Dr.  Haworth  continued  : 

"  As  I  informed  the  jury,  the  intelligence  of  the  murder  reached 
me  through  the  servants  on  the  following  morning.  My  father  was 
absent.  On  the  day  before  he  had  ridden  to  Sinclair  Station  to  pur 
chase  some  fertilizers,  and,  as  the  place  was  distant,  had  remained 
all  night — the  night  of  the  murder — at  the  house  of  a  friend.  He 
only  returned  on  the  following  evening,  too  late  to  ride  to  Maurice- 
wood,  which  he  expressed  a  strong  desire  to  do.  And  I  remember 
his  expressions  of  horror.  He  was  deeply  depressed  at  having  quar 
reled  with  Mr.  Maurice  a  few  days  before.  They  had  been  friends, 
and  his  old  friend's  death  moved  him  deeply.  On  the  next  day  he 
ordered  his  horse  to  go  to  Mauricewood,  but  gave  up  the  design ; 
his  presence  there  might  not  be  welcome ;  and  he  shut  himself  up 
in  his  library.  In  the  evening  he  was  arrested  for  the  murder. 

"  A  constable  came  and  showed  him  the  warrant,  issued  by  a 
magistrate  who  had  always  been  unfriendly  to  him.  At  sight  of 
the  paper  my  father  exclaimed  :  '  Good  God  !  to  charge  me  with  the 
murder  of  James  Maurice  !  It  is  monstrous  ! '  But  there  was  noth 
ing  to  say — there  was  the  warrant  of  arrest  and  the  constable  was 
waiting.  From  horror  my  father  passed  to  composure — he  was  a 
man  of  great  gentleness  and  sweetness  of  temper,  but  of  the  utmost 
resolution  of  character.  He  therefore  said  no  more,  and  was  driven 
to  Abbeyville,  where  he  was  examined — the  quarrel  between  him 
self  and  Mr.  James  Maurice,  together  with  the  expressions  used  by 
himself  were  testified  to — and  he  was  committed  for  trial  at  the 
next  court  by  the  magistrate  who  had  issued  the  warrant.  Of  the 
trial  it  is  unnecessary  for  me  to  speak.  He  was  convicted  upon  evi 
dence  purely  circumstantial,  and  though  the  jury  were  unanimous, 
ft  was  said,  in  the  opinion  that  he  ought  to  be  pardoned — were  even 


bR.  HA  WORTH'S   TESTIMONY. 

ready  to  sign  a  petition  to  that  effect — he  was  not  pardoned — he 
died  of  shame  at  the  stain  on  his  good  name." 

Dr.  Haworth  stopped.  His  voice  had  not  faltered  for  a  moment 
in  telling  his  painful  story,  or  his  eyes  lost  their  expression  of  som 
ber  composure. 

"  And  that  stain  on  your  father's  name  accounts  for  your  drop 
ping  it  ?  "  said  Mr.  Dunn. 

"  No ;  I  should  never  have  called  myself  by  any  other  name 
than  his  own  if  he  had  not  laid  his  command  upon  me.  I  saw  him 
every  day  in  jail,  and  he  discussed  without  reserve  every  feature  of 
the  case.  He  cared  nothing  for  the  Governor's  pardon,  he  said ; 
his  name  would  remain  dishonored.  He  had  been  the  victim  of 
some  unknown  enemy  who  hated  him  and  meant  to  destroy  him — 
who  was  skillful,  daring,  unrelenting  and  probably  rich,  since  he  had 
not  struck,  himself,  it  seemed,  but  by  the  hands  of  others.  This  con 
viction  became  rooted  in  my  father's  mind,  and  he  never  lost  sight 
of  it.  He  had  the  presentiment  of  his  own  death,  and  said  to  me 
one  day  in  a  low  tone :  '  You  are  my  only  hope.  The  name  of 
Ducis  will  remain  dishonored  unless  you  remove  the  stain  from  it.' 
He  then  explained  his  wishes.  The  real  murderer  or  murderers  of 
Mr.  Maurice  would  never  be  discovered  if  the  search  for  them  was 
pursued  publicly.  It  was  necessary  to  do  so  privately.  His  in 
junction,  therefore,  was  that  I  should  dispose  of  the  family  estate, 
leave  the  neighborhood,  assume  the  name  of  my  mother  and  ac 
quire  a  complete  education  as  a  preparation  for  the  work  before  me. 
Thus  trained  I  was  to  return  and  quietly  pursue  the  investigation. 
The  name  Haworth  was  unfamiliar  here,  since  my  mother's  family 
was  from  a  distant  state — it  was,  therefore,  probable  that  no  one 
would  suspect  the  object  of  my  coming.  I  promised  my  father 
that  I  would  obey  his  command — he  gave  me  his  blessing — and 
three  days  afterward  he  was  dead." 

Dr.  Haworth  looked  composedly  at  Col.  Ross,  but  behind  the 
pupils  of  his  eyes,  so  to  say,  there  was  a  latent  fire  which  contra 
dicted  his  calm  tones. 

"  I  have  explained  why  I  call  myself  Haworth  and  not  Ducis," 
he  added  coldly.  "  It  will  remove  the  impression  that  I  am  a  name 
less  impostor.  I  was  denounced  as  one  in  an  anonymous  letter 
sent  by  the  person  who  corresponds  through  hollow  trees." 

All  eyes  were  turned  toward  Col.  Ross,  but  he  bore  the  ordeal 
Without  changing  color — he  even  looked  a  little  defiant. 


1>R-   HAWORTH*S   TESTIMONY. 

"  Well,  to  end  this  explanation,"  said  Dr.  Haworth,  coolly,  "  1 
went  away  and  grew  up,  and  became  an  engineer  in  South  America. 
Some  years  afterward  I  returned  to  this  place,  and  endeavored  to 
discover  who  had  really  murdered  James  Maurice.  I  completely 
failed — there  were  no  traces  whatever — and  the  name  of  Ducis  re 
mained  dishonored.  Then  I  went  back  to  South  America,  where  I 
had  succeeded  in  amassing  some  money,  risked  it  in  speculation 
and  found  myself  rich.  That  was  what  I  wanted.  I  had  satisfied 
myself  that  the  man  I  was  looking  for  was  rich  and  powerful.  And 
at  last  I  had  discovered  what  I  thought  a  clew — shall  I  explain  that 
to  the  jury,  sir  ?  " 

"  Certainly.  Let  all  the  facts  come  out,"  said  Mr.  Dunn.  "  I 
defy  my  friends  over  the  way  to  stop  you.  If  they  attempt  to  do  so 
I  am  ready  to  meet  them." 

Mr.  Sparrow  gesticulated  defiance  and  was  about  to  bound  up, 
but  Mr.  Shirley  stopped  him." 

"  It  is  always  a  sign  of  a  bad  case,"  said  Mr.  Dunn  in  a  philo 
sophic  tone,  "  when  there  is  an  objection  to  have  all  the  facts  stated. 
The  Commonwealth  does  not  object  on  this  or  any  other  occasion. 
I  am  myself  much  interested  in  Dr.  Haworth's  testimony,  and 
would  like  to  know  about  that  clew.  What  do  you  mean,  Doctor  ?  " 

"  I  mean,"  said  Dr.  Haworth,  "  that  I  found  a  boy  running 
about  in  the  streets  of  Lima  and  discovered  that  he  was  the  son  of 
John  Maurice  of  Mauricewood." 

"  The  youth  Baptiste— or  Maurice  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  I  was  falling  into  a  sort  of  apathy,  and  had  nearly  de 
spaired  of  ever  discovering  anything.  I  had  thrown  myself  into  af 
fairs — fought,  speculated  and  then  retired,  in  disgust  with  all  things, 
to  a  hacienda  near  Lima.  The  discovery  of  John  Maurice's  son 
again  put  me  on  the  scent  of  the  murder.  I  will  explain  why.  I 
had  taken  him  into  my  service  because  I  was  struck  by  his  face — 
it  was  the  face  of  a  gentleman,  not  a  vagabond  ;  and  hearing  him 
mention,  one  day,  the  name  of  a  half-breed  woman,  who  had  been 
his  nurse,  I  went  and  visited  her  near  Callao.  She  told  me  every 
thing — he  was  the  son  of  John  Maurice  and  a  Mademoiselle  Las- 
celles,  whom  he  had  married.  There  had  been  trouble  between 
husband  and  wife  and  Mr.  Maurice  left  the  country — and  some 
months  afterward  the  boy  was  born.  Soon  afterward  his  mother 
died,  directing  that  he  should  be  called  Jean  after  his  father.  The 
priest  who  baptized  him  had  added  Baptiste,  and  the  woman,  whose 


DR.  HAWORTH' S   TESTIMONY.  21$ 

name  was  Panza,  had  taken  charge  of  him  and  brought  him  up, 
concealing  his  name  from  him  for  fear  he  would  be  taken  away  from 
her,  as  she  had  grown  fond  of  him.  As  an  evidence  of  his  birth 
she  had  his  mother's  wedding-ring,  which  I  secured  by  appealing  to 
her  avarice — it  has  been  produced." 

"  Yes,"  said  Mr.  Dunn. 

"  To  finish.  I  thus  found  that  I  had  taken  into  my  service  the 
son  of  John  Maurice,  who  was  married  a  second  time  at  Maurice- 
wood  on  the  very  night  of  James  Maurice's  murder.  Why  had  his 
father  quarreled  with  his  mother  ?  I  discovered.  A  fencing  master 
named  Pedro  Nunez,  whom  I  knew  informed  me — Mr.  Maurice  was 
jealous.  Col.  Ross  had  been  an  admirer  of  Mrs.  Maurice  before 
her  marriage,  and  continued  his  attentions.  Mr.  Maurice  thereupon 
insulted  him,  wounded  him  in  a  duel  with  swords,  and  subsequently 
left  the  country.  His  wife  had  died  soon  afterward — the  fact  had, 
no  doubt,  been  reported  to  him — and  he  had  remarried." 

Dr.  Haworth  paused  and  said  : 

"  I  am  compelled  to  enter  into  these  details  to  make  myself  un 
derstood." 

"  Continue,"  said  Mr.  Dunn. 

"  I  wished  to  show  how  I  came  to  connect  Col.  Ross  with  the 
affairs  of  the  Maurice  family." 

"  Yes." 

"  The  fact  was  established  that  he  and  John  Maurice  had  been 
enemies.  He  had  been  in  this  neighborhood  just  before  the  murder, 
as  I  afterward  discovered — there  was  the  material  to  work  upon. 
The  difficulty  was  to  reconcile  the  apparently  honorable  character 
of  Col.  Ross  with  secret  murder.  An  incident  occurred  which 
changed  my  views.  He  invented  or  connived  at  a  discreditable 
trick  to  blow  up  a  Peruvian  steamer — a  ruse  scarcely  defensible — 
and  we  met  personally  in  a  fight  which  followed.  After  that  I  be 
gan  to  think  that  probably  Col.  Ross  knew  something  about  other 
ruses — among  them  that  which  ended  in  the  conviction  and  death 
of  my  father.  Am  I  to  go  on  ?  " 

"  Yes — let  the  whole  come  out.  The  jury  wants  to  know  the 
facts." 

"Very  well,"  said  Dr.  Haworth,  coolly.  "I  came  to  the  United 
States  this  autumn  to  resume  my  search  for  the  murderer  or  mur 
derers  of  James  Maurice." 

The  jury  and  audience  had  listened  with  profound  attention  to 


DR.   HA  WORTH  CONCLUDES  HIS   TESTIMONY. 

this  long  statement,  looking  now  and  then  curiously  toward  Col. 
Ross — scarcely  at  the  other  accused  persons.  The  testimony  of 
Dr.  Haworth  seemed  to  have  no  effect  upon  him.  He  neither  low 
ered  his  eyes  now,  nor  exhibited  any  emotion.  And  yet  the  testi 
mony  going  to  convict  him  seemed  to  be  approaching  its  climax. 

In  the  midst  of  a  deep  silence  Dr.  Haworth  resumed  his  testi 
mony. 


XL 

DR.  HAWORTH  CONCLUDES  HIS  TESTIMONY. 

"  I  ARRIVED  in  New  York  this  autumn,"  continued  Dr.  Haworth, 
"and  chanced  to  observe  Col.  Ross  in  a  theater  with  the  ladies 
from  Mauricewood.  I  was  then  sure  of  his  presence  in  the  United 
States,  of  which  I  had  been  informed.  Jean  Baptiste  Maurice,  who 
had  preceded  me  to  New  York,  also  recognized  him,  and  a  few  days 
afterward  I  left  the  city  with  the  youth  and  came  to  this  neighbor 
hood — under  the  name  I  had  always  borne,  of  Dr.  Haworth." 

"  You  did  not  go  to  Mauricewood  ?  " 

"  No — to  a  house  in  the  hills,  ostensibly  for  the  purpose  of  hunt 
ing.  My  real  object,  of  course,  was  to  make  inquiries  without  ex 
citing  suspicion,  and  to  ascertain  as  much  as  possible  about  Col. 
Ross  and  the  Wilkins  people,  who  I  was  now  nearly  certain,  were 
connected  with  the  murder." 

"  A  natural  idea,"  said  Mr.  Dunn,  "  as  they  had  been  arrested 
on  the  charge  once  before." 

"  I  accordingly  visited  the  house  in  the  hills  where  these  people 
resided,  and  was  satisfied  of  their  guilt.  The  woman  became  agi 
tated  when  I  spoke  of  a  case  in  which  a  murderer  had  been  con 
victed  by  the  numbers  on  some  stolen  bank  notes — and  the  look  on 
the  face  of  the  man  was  the  hunted  look.  The  evidence  of  Jean 
Baptiste  Maurice  in  reference  to  Col  Ross'  visit,  and  the  allusions  to 
my  object  in  coming  to  the  neighborhood,  is  before  the  jury." 

"Yes." 

"  I  soon  had  a  proof,"  continued  Dr.  Haworth,  "  that  I  was  re 
garded  as  a  suspicious  character.  I  think  I  can  state  that  I  was  fired 
upon." 

And  he  related  the  incident  in  the  hills,  with  his  visit  to  the 
cabin  afterwards. 


b&.  HA  WORTH  CONCLUDES  HIS  TESTIMONY.  21 J 

"  That  was  a  little  hazardous,"  he  continued,  "  and  I  moved  my 
quarters.  I  had  become  acquainted  with  Mr.  Timothy  Maurice,  and 
accepted  his  invitation  to  visit  Mauricewood,  where  it  seems  I  was 
made  the  object  of  special  attention  on  the  part  of  Miss  Burns.  I 
do  not  wish  to  detain  the  jury  with  that  comedy — with  the  "  some 
bodies,"  the  anonymous  letters,  and  night  searches  for  papers — let 
that  pass.  I  had  a  much  more  important  subject  to  occupy  my 
thoughts — the  question  who  had  murdered  Mr.  Maurice  and  suf 
fered  my  father  to  die  dishonored,  as  the  author  of  the  crime.  For 
some  time  before  I  had  convinced  myself  that  I  had  made  the  dis 
covery." 

Dr.  Haworth  paused  for  a  moment.  In  the  midst  of  a  profound 
silence  he  resumed  his  testimony. 

"One  day  I  requested  Mr.  Timothy  Maurice  to  show  me  the 
room  at  Mauricewood  in  which  his  brother  had  been  murdered. 
Col.  Ross  was  present  and  entered  the  room  with  me.  As  he  ex 
hibited  little  emotion  I  was  fortified  in  my  previous  opinion  that  he 
had  not  committed  the  murder." 

At  these  words  a  buzz  of  astonishment  ran  through  the  crowd. 
As  Dr.  Haworth's  testimony  had  seemed  to  lead  straight  to  the 
theory  that  Col.  Ross  was  the  guilty  person  the  words  he  had  just 
uttered  were  a  profound  surprise. 

"  My  inspection  of  the  apartment  had  an  important  result,  how 
ever,"  said  Dr.  Haworth.  "  I  found  concealed  in  the  bed  this  gar- 
rote,  with  which,  I  have  no  doubt,  the  murder  was  committed." 

He  drew  from  his  pocket  the  cord  and  placed  it  upon  the  table 
before  Mr.  Dunn,  who  looked  at  it  with  interest. 

"  The  next  step,"  Dr.  Haworth  continued,  "  was  to  ascertain 
whether  there  were  marks  on  Mr.  Maurice's  neck  which  supported 
my  theory.  I  paid  a  visit  to  Dr.  Seabright,  the  family  physician, 
and  nearly  the  first  words  he  uttered  were  that  James  Maurice  had 
been  strangled — there  were  marks  on  his  neck  which  could  not 
otherwise  be  accounted  for." 

"  Dr.  Seabright's  testimony  is  to  the  same  effect,"  said  Mr.  Dunn. 

"  He  rendered  me  important  assistance  in  other  ways,"  said  Dr. 
Haworth,  "  since  he  enabled  me  to  secure  possession  of  the  leaf  of 
the  ledger  at  Sinclair's,  recording  my  father's  purchase  of  fertilizers. 
Here  it  is." 

He  drew  it  from  his  breast  and  unfolded  it. 

"  The  apparent  date  of  the  purchase  is  May  8,  the  day  after  th$ 
10 


2 1 8     DR.  HAWORTH  DISCOVERS  A  LIKENESS. 

murder.  The  original  entry  has  been  falsified — the  ink  discharged 
from  the  paper  by  an  infusion  of  oxalic  acid.  That  may  be  tested 
by  the  tongue,  as  oxalic  acid  is  extremely  sour." 

One  of  the  jury  took  the  paper  and  touched  it  with  his  tongue. 

"  It's  sour  enough,"  he  said,  "  but  I  don't  believe  there  was 
anything  else  written  there." 

"  So  be  it,"  said  Dr.  Haworth.  "  Unfortunately  the  question 
was  not  raised  on  the  trial  of  Mr.  Ducis.  This  sheet  of  paper  de 
stroyed  him." 

"  You  think  that  date  is  forged,"  said  Mr.  Dunn.  "  Well,  who 
is  the  forger  ?  If  you  know,  tell  the  jury." 

"  I  do  not  know  the  name  of  the  forger,  but  I  am  certain  I  know 
who  he  was." 

"Who  was  he?" 

"  He  was  the  man  who  murdered  James  Maurice,  whether  he 
was  present  on  the  night  of  the  7th  of  May  or  not ;  who  conceived 
the  design,  brought  about  the  result,  and  took  the  steps  that  brought 
the  crime  home  to  an  innocent  person." 

"  A  curious  affair  altogether,"  said  Mr.  Dunn.  "  Then  you 
think  that  the  alteration  in  this  entry — the  hammer  and  glove  found 
near  the  spot  of  the  murder — all  was  a  conspiracy  to  destroy  an  in 
nocent  man,  as  you  say  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  to  my  own  mind,  at  least,  the  circumstances  exclude 
every  other  hypothesis,  as  you  say  in  your  profession,  sir." 

Mr.  Dunn  reflected. 

"  I  should  like  to  get  at  your  precise  idea,"  he  said,  "  and  I  think 
the  jury  would  like  to  hear  it.  As  the  late  Mr.  Seward  said  to  Mr. 
Stephens,  it  seems  to  have  a  philosophic  basis." 

Mr.  Shirley  rose  and  objected.  His  point  was  that  the  private 
opinions  of  a  witness  had  nothing  to  do  with  a  legal  investigation, 
and  he  urged  the  view  with  great  force. 

Mr.  Dunn's  reply  was  equally  forcible.  The  impressions  pro 
duced  on  the  mind  of  a  witness  by  the  facts  coming  to  his  knowl 
edge  are  a  legitimate  subject  of  inquiry.  What  the  jury  wanted 
was  all  the  facts  and  circumstances  connected  with  this  case.  The 
rules  of  evidence  were  intended  to  guard  the  accused — to  afford  him 
a  fair  trial — not  to  cover  up  the  facts.  The  witness  was  intimately 
acquainted  with  the  details  of  the  case  now  before  the  jury,  and 
might  legitimately  be  asked  his  convictions  resulting  from  that  in 
timate  knowledge.  The  jury  were  at  liberty  to  agree  with  them 


DR.  HA  WORTH  CONCLUDES  HIS   TESTIMONY. 

or  to  disagree  with  them — to  accept  them,  or  to  laugh  at  them  as 
absurd. 

Judge  Bootlack  thought  the  question  was  improper — but  was 
not  certain  that  it  was  not  entirely  proper.  In  his  opinion  it  ought 
not  to  be  asked — but  on  the  whole,  and  as  the  result  of  reflection, 
he  would  permit  the  inquiry  to  be  propounded. 

Whereupon  Mr.  Shirley,  much  disgusted,  said  he  would  except, 
and  sat  down. 

"  Well,  now,"  said  Mr.  Dunn,  "  give  the  jury  your  idea  of  the 
murder,  Doctor.  It  will  not  take  long,  I  suppose  ?  " 

"  I  can  do  so,  briefly.  Here  is  my  conviction.  The  person  in 
tended  to  be  murdered  was  not  James  Maurice,  but  his  nephew, 
John  Maurice,  the  supposed  occupant  of  the  room  on  the  night  of 
the  murder.  The  actual  murderer  was  the  tool  of  a  person  more 
skillful — who  had  a  private  vengeance  to  gratify.  This  tool  was 
bought,  and  under  orders,  probably  from  his  employer,  arranged 
everything  to  throw  the  guilt  upon  an  innocent  man — Henry  Ducis. 
The  plot  fully  succeeded,  and  the  real,  unknown  author  of  all  was 
never  even  suspected.  It  is  for  the  jury  to  say  who  they  think  he 
is — as  to  his  tools,  they  defied  conviction  ;  the  whole  had  been  too 
well  planned.  Arrested  on  suspicion,  they  were  discharged  for  want 
of  evidence.  There  was  absolutely  no  proof  of  their  guilt.  One 
only  was  shown  to  have  been  present  at  or  about  the  time  of  the 
murder,  but  that  person  was  a  woman,  and  women  rarely  murder 
men — they  may  rob,  but  shrink  from  bloodshed." 

"  Well,  that  is  tolerably  plain.  An  unknown  person  planned  the 
crime,  but  this  particular  unknown  did  not  personally  commit  it. 
Who  did  ?  " 

"  I  can  only  recall  to  your  mind  the  testimony  of  the  witness 
Jean  Baptiste  Maurice  as  to  what  he  overheard  at  the  house  in  the 
hills — my  own  as  to  the  bullet  fired  at  me — and  the  identification 
of  the  messenger  who  carried  the  letters  written  to  and  by  Miss 
Burns." 

"  Well,  that  does  look  rather  ugly,"  said  Mr.  Dunn,  "  and  all 
the  parties  are  equally  responsible.  Of  course,  if  two  persons  were 
actually  present  at  the  time  of  the  murder  both  are  guilty  as  prin 
cipals  whether  the  crime  was  committed  by  one  or  both.  That's 
law,  I  believe  ?  "  said  Mr.  Dunn  to  Mr.  Shirley. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  said  that  gentleman. 

"  In  the  absence  of  evidence,"  added  Mr.  Dunn,  "  there  is  only 


220     DJf.   HA  WORTH  CONCLUDES  HIS   TESTIMONY. 

one  course  to  pursue— to  procure  a  pardon  for  one  of  them  and 
summon  him  or  her  to  testify  to  the  facts." 

Mr.  Dunn  looked  at  Wilkins  and  the  woman.  On  their  stolid 
countenances  it  was  impossible  to  observe  the  least  traces  of  emo 
tion. 

"  But  all  that  can  wait.  We  are  in  no  hurry  and  have  the  whole 
term  before  us,"  said  Mr.  Dunn.  "  I  have  only  a  few  more  ques 
tions  to  ask  the  witness.  You  say  that  you  had  then  made  up  your 
mind  on  the  subject  of  the  murder,  Doccor  ?  " 

"  To  a  certain  point — yes." 

"  That  Mr.  Ducis  was  absolutely  innocent,  and  certain  other  per 
sons  were  guilty  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Well,  it  seems  to  me  that  under  these  circumstances  the  time 
to  act  had  come.  You  had  been  shot  at — you  had  information  of 
that  night  visit  in  the  hills — you  had  been  denounced  in  anonymous 
letters — you  found  that  garrote  in  the  bed,  a  peculiar  instrument  for 
the  commission  of  murder,  which  necessarily  pointed  to  some  per 
son  familiar  with  the  methods  of  death  employed  in  Spanish  coun 
tries — you  had  all  this  to  go  upon,  and  as  you  have  explained  had 
an  ardent  desire  to  bring  the  real  offenders  to  justice.  Why,  then, 
I  say,  did  you  not  take  steps  leading  to  a  judicial  investigation  ?  " 

"  The  steps  were  taken." 

"  To  connect  specific  people  with  the  murder  of  Mr.  James  Mau 
rice  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  What  steps  ?  " 

"  I  procured  warrants  for  the  arrest  of  three  persons — Col.  Ross, 
Wilkins  and  his  wife,  the  former  servant  or  housekeeper  at  Maurice- 
wood,  who  was  seen  coming  out  of  the  room  on  the  night  of  the 
murder." 

"  That  was  during  my  absence  from  home  attending  the  Circuit 
Court,  I  suppose.  The  warrants  were  issued,  you  say  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir;  by  Prof.  Lesner,  a  magistrate  of  the  neighborhood." 

"  Prof.  Lesner — that  fine  old  fellow  ?  I  thought  he  was  a  re 
tired  scholar.  Yes,  I  remember  now  that  he  was  elected  a  justice 
recently.  Well,  I  am  glad  party  politics  still  allow  us  a  few  honor 
able  magistrates.  So  the  old  Professor  did  issue  the  warrants  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Why  was  no  action  taken  ?  " 


DR.  HA  WORTH  CONCLUDES  HIS   TESTIMONY.   221 

"  The  parties  were  warned  and  escaped." 

"  Warned  ?     Escaped  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Dr.  Haworth,  "  the  officer  to  whom  the  warrants 
were  addressed  was  either  suborned  by  some  one  having  an  interest 
to  avoid  the  inquiry,  or  had  private  reasons  of  his  own.  The  fact 
remains  that  the  return  '  not  found  '  was  made  by  the  officer,  or  his 
deputy.  The  three  persons  had  disappeared." 

"  Well,  that  is  rather  a  serious  charge,  Doctor,  against  an  officer 
of  the  law." 

"  The  charge  is  just.  I  was  present  when  the  return  was  made 
to  Prof.  Lesner  and  can  testify  that  he  was  extremely  indignant." 

"  A  serious  matter.  If  constables  are  to  warn  people  there  is 
an  end  of  justice.  Are  you  sure  of  your  statement  ?  " 

"  Prof.  Lesner  will  corroborate  it.  I  am  aware  that  it  is  serious 
— to  the  accused  as  well  as  to  the  constable.  Innocent  people  do 
not  fly  from  justice." 

"  I  shall  ask  for  a  subpena  for  Prof.  Lesner,  your  Honor,"  said 
Mr.  Dunn ;  and,  as  I  wish  to  avoid  delay,  I  want  it  served  to-night, 
so  that  we  may  go  on  in  the  morning.  If  a  constable  warned  the 
accused,  and  they  avoided  arrest,  it  will  be  an  ugly  thing  for  all 
parties." 

The  subpena  was  then  made  out,  and  placed  in  the  hands  of  an 
officer,  who  was  directed  to  deliver  it  at  once  to  Prof.  Lesner.  He 
would  be  examined  the  first  thing  when  the  court  met  in  the  morn 
ing. 

Mr.  Dunn  then  said  to  the  witness : 

"  I  understand  you  to  state  that  you  procured  these  warrants  for 
the  arrest  of  the  parties,  and  they  fled  from  justice  ?  Col.  Ross  did 
not  fly — or  if  he  did  he  flew  back." 

"  Yes,"  said  Dr.  Haworth,  looking  fixedly  at  Col.  Ross,  "  after 
the  arrest  of  his  confederates." 

"  I  heard  he  was  called  to  Washington  to  testify  before  a  com 
mittee,  and  returned  at  once  after  getting  through — I  throw  out  the 
remark  for  the  benefit  of  the  defense,  and  hope  they  will  not  object 
to  it  as  hearsay  evidence  !  " 

"  He  was  in  Washington  for  that  purpose,"  said  Dr.  Haworth, 
*  and  returned — for  a  purpose." 

"  What  purpose  ?  " 

"  Ask  him.    An  accused  can  testify  under  certain  circumstances." 

"  £!ot  in  this  Commonwealth — certainly  not  in  this  case," 


222     DR.    HA  IVOR  Til  CONCLUDES  HIS    TESTIMONY. 

"  Then  I  decline  to  testify  for  him — others  may  do  so  if  they 
wish — Mr.  Maurice  or  his  family." 

Col.  Ross  suddenly  flushed.  His  instinct  of  gentleman  doubtless 
revolted  from  a  public  exposure  of  the  incident  of  the  death  register 
and  the  scene  at  Mauricewood. 

"  Very  well,"  said  Mr.  Dunn.  "  Prof.  Lesner,  I  have  no  doubt, 
will  tell  us  whether  there  was  or  was  not  an  evasion  of  justice.  Such 
a  thing  is  prima  facie  evidence  of  guilt,  of  course.  As  you  say  that 
Mr.  Timothy  Maurice  or  his  family  can  throw  some  light  on  Col. 
Ross'  return  to  meet  this  charge,  I  will  summon  them  all  to  testify 
to-morrow.  I  have  no  further  questions  for  the  witness,  gentlemen." 

Dr.  Haworth  was  subjected  to  a  cross-examination  which  lasted 
until  nearly  midnight.  Every  link  in  his  statement  was  subjected  by 
Mr.  Shirley  to  the  most  determined  attack,  and  Mr.  Dunn,  who  was 
generally  so  careless,  was  observed  to  lean  forward  and  listen  with 
absorbing  attention. 

He  was  studying  his  profession.  A  master  of  criminal  law  was 
teaching  him  viva  voce  more  than  he  had  ever  learned  in  books,  and 
when  Mr.  Sparrow  chirped  and  hopped,  interrupting  the  master,  Mr. 
Dunn  scowled  at  him. 

At  last  the  cross-examination  ended — Dr.  Haworth's  testimony 
had  not  been  shaken  in  the  remotest  degree.  If  the  jury  were  to 
decide  the  case  upon  it,  they  at  least  knew  what  weight  to  attach 
to  it. 

Mr.  Dunn  then  rose  and  moved  an  adjournment,  which  seemed 
to  be  a  welcome  proposition  to  everybody ;  and  the  court  was  ac 
cordingly  adjourned  to  meet  at  1 1  next  morning. 

As  Mr.  Dunn  was  putting  on  his  hat  with  a  yawn  Judge  Boot- 
lack  descended  from  the  bench. 

"It's  too  late  to-night  for  that  game  of  poker,  Judge,"  said  Mr. 
Dunn,  "  but  I  have  a  question  to  submit  for  your  Honor's  decision." 

Judge  Bootlack  looked  puzzled  and  smiled  uneasily — Mr.  Dunn 
was  always  quizzing. 

"  Is  it  ever  too  late  at  night  to  indulge  in — a  nightcap  ?  " 

Judge  Bootlack  looked  radiant. 

"Never!"  he  exclaimed;  "the  court  is  with  you  there,  sir!" 


COL.   ROSS  EXPLAINS.  223 

XII. 
COL.  ROSS  EXPLAINS. 

WHEN  the  court  adjourned  it  was  nearly  midnight.  That  por 
tion  of  the  audience  residing  outside  of  Abbeyville  prepared  to  re 
turn  home,  and  among  them  were  Dr.  Haworth,  Mr.  Tim  Maurice 
and  Jean. 

As  Dr.  Haworth  was  about  to  mount  his  horse  a  servant  came 
up  to  him  and  handed  him  a  note,  written  in  pencil.  It  contained 
only  these  lines : 

"  I  should  be  glad  to  have  a  few  moments'  private  conversation 
with  Gen.  Ducis  on  matters  of  some  importance.  He  will  find  me 
awaiting  him  at  the  town  jail.  FERDINAND  Ross." 

The  messenger  was  waiting  for  a  reply,  and  going  into  the  tavern 
in  front  of  which  the  note  had  been  handed  him,  Dr.  Haworth  wrote : 

"  I  will  visit  Col.  Ross  at  once  as  he  requests. 

"HENRY  HAWORTH  Ducis." 

The  servant  took  back  the  reply,  and  Dr.  Haworth  then  informed 
his  friends  of  Col.  Ross'  request. 

"  We  will  wait  until  you  return,  Doctor,"  said  Mr.  Tim  Maurice. 

"  It  will  be  unnecessary.     I  may  be  detained." 

"  Don't  send  me  away.  Excellency  !  "  said  Jean. 

"  It  is  useless  for  you  to  remain.  I  wish  you  to  return  with  Mr. 
Maurice." 

And  as  Jean  Baptiste  never  argued  with  his  master  when  he 
spoke  in  that  tone,  he  set  out  for  Mauricewood  in  company  with 
Mr.  Maurice. 

Dr.  Haworth  then  went  straight  to  the  jail,  which  was  not  far 
from  the  court-house,  and  knocking  at  the  door,  which  was  heavily 
studded  with  iron,  found  it  open  immediately. 

"  Col.  Ross  wishes  to  see  me,"  he  said. 

"  Dr.  Haworth  ?  "  asked  the  man. 

"Yes." 

"All  right,  sir.  I'll  take  you  to  the  Colonel's  room— the  very 
best  room  in  the  house." 


224 


COL.   ROSS  EXPLAINS. 


The  jail  was  a  house,  it  seems,  and  the  prisoner  occupied  a  room 
which  was  an  indication  of  the  fact  that  Col.  Ross  was  not  regarded 
as  a  common  criminal  to  be  confined  in  a  vulgar  cell. 

The  room  was  really  a  room — not  a  cell  at  all.  In  fact  it  was 
the  jailer's  own.  He  and  his  wife  had  promptly  vacated  it  on  the 
appearance  of  their  distinguished  lodger ;  had  done  far  more  indeed 
— for,  prompted  by  feminine  sympathizers,  they  had  draped  the  grimy 
windows  with  white  curtains.  Easy-chairs  had  been  provided.  There 
was  a  handsome  table,  covered  with  books  and  newspapers,  and  in 
the  fireplace  shone  a  cheerful  blaze.  The  floor  was  carpeted,  and 
everything  was  neat  down  to  the  snow-white  bed,  looking  very  in 
viting  with  its  fringed  pillows  in  the  light  of  the  argand  burner. 

Col.  Ross  was  seated  in  an  easy-chair,  smoking  a  cigar.  His 
appearance  was  elegant,  and  he  was  perfectly  composed.  At  the 
entrance  of  Dr.  Haworth  he  rose  and  bowed  : 

"  I  am  pleased  to  see  you,  Gen.  Ducis,"  he  said.  "  You  will  find 
the  seat  opposite  an  agreeable  one." 

Dr.  Haworth  bowed  and  sat  down,  Col.  Ross  also  resuming  his 
seat. 

"  I  regret  to  put  you  to  inconvenience  by  requesting  an  interview 
at  so  late  an  hour,  as  you  must  be  fatigued,"  said  Col.  Ross. 

"  I  am  not  at  all  fatigued,  sir,"  replied  Dr.  Haworth  formally, 
"  and  the  hour  is  of  no  importance." 

"  You  were  probably  surprised  at  receiving  my  note  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"The  surprise  was  natural." 

"  It  had  not  occurred  to  me  that  you  would  take  pleasure  in  a 
personal  interview  with  myself,"  said  Dr.  Haworth  in  the  same  cold 
and  formal  tone. 

"  To  be  frank,"  said  Col.  Ross,  "  up  to  a  certain  moment  I  should 
have  desired  nothing  less  than  such  a  personal  interview." 

"  Up  to  a  certain  moment,  sir  ?  " 

"  Up  to  the  moment  when  you  informed  the  court  that  your  real 
name  was  not  Dr.  Haworth,  but  Henry  Haworth  Ducis — the  son  of 
an  innocent  gentleman  convicted  through  my  agency,  as  you  sup 
pose,  of  a  cowardly  murder." 

Dr.  Haworth  looked  at  the  speaker  with  an  air  of  cold  surprise. 
Was  this  effrontery  or  trick  ? 

"  I  do  not  understand  you,  sir,"  he  said. 

Cpl-  Ross  had  thrown  his  cigar  in  the  fire,  and  was  leaning  back 


COL,   ROSS  EXPLAINS. 


22$ 


thoughtfully  in  his  chair.  After  a  moment  he  said,  looking  coolly 
at  his  visitor: 

"  I  see  you  regard  me  as  a  wretch  and  the  real  murderer  of  your 
father.  Well,  you  are  mistaken.  I  had  nothing  to  do  with  the 
murder  of  James  Maurice,  nor  the  miserable  plot  of  fixing  the  crime 
on  Mr.  Ducis." 

Dr.  Haworth  said  nothing ;  his  fixed  look  was  the  only  indication 
that  he  had  heard  the  words. 

"  I  understand  perfectly,"  said  Col.  Ross,  preserving  his  deliber 
ate  tone  ;  "  you  do  not  believe  me.  Very  well ;  before  you  go  away 
to-night  you  will  be  satisfied.  The  object  of  this  interview  is  to 
satisfy  you.  As  long  as  I  regarded  you  as  an  unknown  stranger — 
an  enemy  pursuing  me  in  order  to  destroy  me — I  owed  you  nothing. 
From  the  moment  when  I  discovered  who  you  really  are,  I  owed 
you  everything.  Your  answer  in  court  to-day,  '  I  am  the  son  of 
Henry  Ducis,'  struck  me  like  a  blow.  I  was  not  aware  that  Mr. 
Ducis  had  a  son,  and  I  trust  you  now  begin  to  understand.  I  am 
not  altogether  the  wretch  that  you  think  me,  and  even  venture  to 
call  myself  a  gentleman,  in  spite  of  appearances.  I  give  you  the 
proof.  I  will  tell  you  everything  connected  with  the  murder  of 
James  Maurice,  if  you  think  it  will  interest  you." 

"  I  shall  be  glad  to  hear  your  statement,  sir,"  said  Dr.  Haworth, 
unable  to  conceal  his  emotion. 

Col.  Ross  leaned  back  in  his  chair  and  said  in  a  composed  voice : 

"  Suppose  I  say  a  word  first  of  myself.  The  subject  may  not  in 
terest  you  or  excite  your  sympathy  to  any  very  great  extent,  but  it  is 
necessary  to  inflict  a  sort  of  preface  upon  you  to  make  myself  under 
stood.  We  are  not  in  a  court  of  justice  now,  and  I  can  say  what 
ever  I  care  to  say.  I  see  you  are  interested — you  will  find  that  my 
brief  narrative,  egotistical  as  it  may  appear,  will  elucidate  this  whole 
affair.  I  will  therefore  speak  of  some  events  of  my  life,  and  hope  to 
remove  a  few  impressions  from  your  mind  which  are  not  flattering 
to  me." 

Dr.  Haworth  bowed,  gravely  fixing  his  eyes  as  before  upon  those 
of  the  speaker. 

"  I  was  born  in  this  country  and  went  to  South  America  as  a 
midshipman,  and  afterward  became  a  lieutenant,"  said  Col.  Ross. 
"  My  ship  was  detained  at  Callao,  which  is  not  far  from  Lima,  as 
you  are  aware,  and  after  the  habit  of  young  naval  officers  I  visited 
the  place  for  amusement.  A  traveling  opera  company  was  perform- 


226  COL.   JfOSS  EXPLAINS. 

ing  at  the  time  in  the  City  of  Lima,  and  the  prima  donna  was  a 
beautiful  French  girl,  Marie  Antoinette  Lascelles.  To  be  brief,  I 
fell  very  much  in  love  with  her  and  had  reason  to  believe  the  sentiment 
returned — when  she  made  the  acquaintance  of  Mr.  John  Maurice  and 
began  to  cool.  He  was  a  young  man  from  my  own  neighborhood 
here  and  at  the  time  was  attach^  or  secretary  of  the  American  lega 
tion.  He  was  extremely  handsome  and  had  a  certain  glance  and 
tone  of  the  voice  which  women  cannot  resist ;  and,  not  to  make  a 
long  story  of  it,  he  supplanted  me  with  poor  Antoinette.  I  say  poor 
because  she  is  dead,  and  I  never  had  the  remotest  ill-feeling  toward 
her.  I  cannot  say  as  much  of  my  sentiment  in  the  direction  of  Mr. 
John  Maurice.  To  be  frank,  I  hated  him — as  a  man  will  hate  an 
other  who  robs  him  of  the  love  of  a  woman.  I  said  nothing,  how 
ever,  at  the  time.  Things  took  their  course.  I  went  on  a  cruise, 
and  when  I  got  back  to  Lima  they  were  married. 

"Well,"  contiriued  Col.  Ross,  "I  had,  of  course,  nothing  to  say 
to  that,  and  said  nothing.  I  did  not  regard  it  as  absolutely  neces 
sary,  however,  that  I  should  completely  drop  the  acquaintance  of 
Mrs.  Antoinette  Maurice,  as  we  had  formerly  been  friends.  She 
herself  indicated  no  desire  that  her  old  friends  should  give  her  up. 
She  was  fond  of  admiration,  though  one  of  the  best  and  purest  per 
sons  in  the  world,  and  accepted  an  amount  of  attention  from  gentle 
men  more  customary  in  France,  perhaps,  than  in  America.  As  I 
was  among  these  gentlemen,  our  former  relations,  unfortunately, 
made  people  talk,  and  Mr.  John  Maurice,  still  more  unfortunately, 
had  one  great  fault — he  was  jealous  and  suspicious  to  the  echo.  In 
a  word,  he  grew  angry,  offered  me  a  gross  insult,  or  to  be  more  pre 
cise,  slapped  my  face — and  in  a  duel  which  followed  nearly  put  an 
end  to  me.  I  had  a  long  and  dangerous  illness,  and  some  time 
afterward  heard  curious  intelligence.  Mr.  Maurice  had  grown 
more  and  more  jealous  of  everybody,  and  at  last  convinced  himself 
that  his  wife  was  unfaithful  to  him — in  consequence  of  which  he 
had  deserted  her  and  South  America  together.  She  also  had  dis 
appeared — none  of  her  old  friends  ever  saw  her — and  it  was  only 
long  afterward  that  I  heard  that  she  had  died  at  Lima  in  some  ob 
scure  part  of  the  town  where  she  had  lived  unknown  after  her  deser 
tion  by  her  husband. 

"  That  is  all  of  that  part  of  my  story,  sir,"  said  Col.  Ross.  "  It 
was  necessary  to  state  the  facts,  since  a  great  deal  hinges  upon 
them.  Right  or  wrong,  the  result  with  me  was  a  good  wholesome 


COL.  ROSS  EXPLAINS.  227 

hatred  for  Mr.  John  Maurice  who  had  supplanted  me,  outraged  me, 
painfully  wounded  me,  and  left  a  good  girl,  whom  I  loved,  to  die  in 
poverty  and  misery.  Whether  natural  or  not,  I  had  the  sentiment — 
a  genuine  hatred  of  the  man,  and  a  very  strong  desire  to  be  even 
with  him.  Is  that  intelligible  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,"  said  Dr.  Haworth. 

"  Very  well ;  that  was  the  state  of  affairs  when  I  found  myself 
back  in  this  country  and  neighborhood.  Mr.  John  Maurice  had  re 
turned  some  time  before  and  was  paying  his  addresses  to  Miss  Ellen 
Maurice — his  first  wife  being  presumably  dead.  I  say  presumably, 
as  to  myself,  for  I  did  not  know  the  fact  at  the  time.  I  met  him 
now  and  then,  and  had  half  determined  to  select  the  opportunity  to 
insult  him  and  force  him  to  fight  me — it  would  be  an  excellent  time, 
just  as  he  was  going  to  be  married — for  that  fact  was  soon  an 
nounced.  I  did  not  do  so — it  really  looked  too  scandalous  !  Or  say, 
if  you  prefer,  that  I  was  afraid — that  he  had  taught  me  a  lesson  at 
Lima.  It  is  not  true,  as  I  have  never  been  afraid  of  anybody,  but 
you  may  adopt  the  theory  if  you  fancy  as  an  explanation  of  the  fact 
that  I  did  not  interfere  with  his  marriage  or  himself  in  any  manner. 

"  What  I  did  do,  however,  was  injudicious  and  had  unfortunate 
results.  I  will  state  the  whole  case  against  myself  in  the  plainest 
and  fairest  manner,  leaving  you  to  believe  me  or  not  as  you  choose, 
and  to  form  your  own  opinion. 

"  At  the  time  when  Mr.  John  Maurice  paid  his  addresses  to  his 
cousin,  Miss  Maurice,  she  had  another  suitor  who  was  crazily  in  love 
with  her.  It  is  unnecessary  to  tell  you  his  name  at  present — call 
him  Brown  or  Jones  if  you  fancy — it  will  save  trouble.  It  was  said 
that  Miss  Maurice  had  been  engaged  to  him— he  said  so — and  had 
jilted  him  for  the  handsome  John  Maurice.  I  do  not  believe  that, 
but  it  is  unimportant.  He  so  stated,  and  as  I  knew  Mr.  Brown  in 
timately  and  had  a  sympathy  for  jilted  people,  we  exchanged  views 
on  the  subject  of  Mr.  Maurice,  whom  I  liked  no  better  than  he  did, 
and  often  talked  about  the  approaching  marriage  and  festivities  at 
Mauricewood.  These  conversations  took  place  generally  at  my 
house,  which  I  had  inherited  on  the  death  of  my  father — and  Mr. 
Brown  would  walk  up  and  down  the  floor  raging  and  grinding  his 
teeth.  He  was  a  cowardly  cur,  but,  like  that  sort  of  animal,  very 
dangerous  if  it  was  made  plain  to  him  that  he  could  use  his  teeth 
without  personal  risk.  Another  of  his  traits  was  that  drink  embold 
ened  him,  and  I  often  amused  myself  by  urging  it  upon  him  in  order 


228  COL-   *oss  EXPLAINS* 

to  listen  to  his  oaths  and  threats  of  vengeance.  One  day  I  remen> 
her  saying :  '  If  you  hate  him  so,  why  don't  you  fight  him  ?  He  is 
a  brave  man  and  will  not  refuse  you  an  opportunity  to  right  your 
wrongs.'  '  Because  he  would  kill  me  ! '  was  the  reply.  '  Then  go 
and  murder  him,'  I  said.'laughing,  '  on  the  very  day  of  his  marriage 
— stab  him  to  death — put  arsenic  in  his  porridge,  or  steal  on  him  in 
slumber  and  garrote  him — it  is  a  pleasant  death,  they  say.'  He  said 
nothing  and  went  away,  and  on  the  next  day  had  occasion  to  write 
to  me  on  some  matter  of  business.  The  note  found  me  dining  \v;th 
some  friends — we  were  all  a  little  elevated  with  champagne — and, 
begging  my  friends  to  excuse  me  for  a  moment,  I  went  into  my 
library  and  scribbled  off  a  hasty  reply  to  the  note.  Having  answered 
the  business  portion  I  wrote  these  words.  I  remembered  them 
afterward,  and  have  never  ceased  to  remember  them  since : 

" '  How  comes  on  our  affair  ?  Are  we  going  to  submit  to  every 
thing  ?  Never — we  will  do  for  him  with  knife,  bludgeon,  hammer, 
or  poison.  But,  on  the  whole,  I  think  we  had  better  garrote  him  in 
his  sleep.  That  will  put  a  quietus  to  our  dear  friend  at  Maurice- 
wood  ! ' 

"  I  signed  the  note  with  my  name,"  continued  Col.  Ross,  "  and 
a  day  or  two  afterward  rejoined  my  ship.  You  know  what  followed. 
On  the  night  of  Miss  Maurice's  marriage  some  one  entered  the 
chamber  supposed  to  be  that  of  the  bride  and  groom  and  committed 
the  murder  there.  In  the  darkness  Mr.  James  Maurice  was  taken 
for  his  nephew,  and  first  garroted  and  then  finished  with  the  ham 
mer.  The  hammer  was  really  the  property  of  Mr.  Ducis,  and  had 
been  accidentally  left  by  him  at  Mauricewood  on  a  recent  visit,  and 
secreted  by  the  assassin.  Finding  that  it  had  been  identified,  and 
that  his  own  glove,  which  dropped,  was  also  supposed  to  belong  to 
Mr.  Ducis,  the  wretch  hastened  to  destroy  the  proof  of  the  alibi  at 
Sinclair's,  which  he  effected  without  discovery  while  the  back  of  the 
merchant  was  turned.  Then  all  duly  followed  as  I  afterward  ascer 
tained.  Mr.  Ducis  was  arrested,  tried,  and  convicted  on  the  circum 
stantial  evidence,  and  the  real  criminal  has  never  been  discovered." 

Dr.  Haworth  had  listened  without  uttering  a  word — his  eyes  still 
fixed  upon  the  face  of  Col.  Ross.  He  now  said  coolly : 

"  You  have  not  told  me  the  name  of  this  real  criminal,  sir." 

"  I  wish  to  reserve  it  for  the  end,  as  a  pleasant  finale,"  said  Col. 
Ross.  "  I  have  nearly  done  now,  and  will  proceed  to  explain  a  few 
matters  of  more  recent  date  which  must  have  puzzled  you." 


THE  MAN.  229 

XIII. 

THE  MAN. 

COL.  Ross  carefully  removed  a  speck  of  dust  from  his  coat  sleeve 
with  the  point  of  his  white  finger  and  said  : 

"  So  much  for  the  events  which  occurred  in  this  neighborhood 
twenty  years  ago.  I  was  not  present  at  the  time  of  the  murder  and 
knew  nothing  of  it  or  of  the  trial  of  Mr.  Ducis  until  some  months 
afterward.  I  had  been  ordered  on  a  cruise  and  my  ship  sailed  for 
the  Pacific  before  the  catastrophe  took  place.  Upon  this  question 
of  dates  you  are  not  obliged  to  accept  my  statement,  as  the  records 
of  the  Naval  Department  will  satisfy  any  doubt  you  may  have  on 
the  subject. 

"  Well,  to  come  to  latter  times  now  and  what  has  recently  taken 
place  in  this  neighborhood.  I  will  stop  a  moment,  however,  to  say 
that  I  really  had  nothing  whatever  to  do  with  that  torpedo-boat  affair 
'v  Callao  harbor.  I  was  only  informed  of  it  at  the  moment  when 
the  boat  drifted  toward  your  steamer,  and  remonstrated  against  it 
as  utterly  indefensible,  but  without  avail.  Of  course  you  can  believe 
me  or  not,  as  you  please.  I  am  speaking  the  truth.  I  can  under 
stand  why  you  thought  it  my  own  device  with  your  theory  of  my 
character,  and  thai  you  placed  to  my  credit  that  shot  fired  at  you 
in  the  hills  by  Wilkins.  I  was  not  the  author  of  the  torpedo  project, 
of  the  shot,  or  even  the  anonymous  letter  sent  to  Mauricewood,  de 
spised  as  it  ought  to  have  been. 

"  I  did  employ  that  girl  to  watch  you  and  ascertain  your  move 
ments — that  is  to  say,  I  commissioned  a  rascally  valet  brought  with 
me  from  South  America  to  keep  me  advised  of  all  your  proceedings. 
He  engaged  the  girl  Burns  through  her  friend,  Miss  Larkins,  and  I 
made  no  objection,  so  I  say  I  employed  her.  The  object  was  to 
ascertain  who  you  were  and  why  you  were  so  curious  about  the  old 
affair  of  the  murder.  The  anonymous  letter,  I  repeat,  was  the  in 
genious  device  of  Miss  Larkins  in  response,  it  seems,  to  Miss  Burns' 
suggestion.  I  declare  upon  my  honor — you  are  at  liberty  to  believe 
me  or  not — that  I  knew  nothing  about  it." 

Col.  Ross  paused.  A  slight  depression  of  the  corners  of  Dr. 
Haworth's  mouth  made  him  flush. 

"  You  doubt  my  statement !  "  he  exclaimed.  "  You  are  dis 
posed  to  laugh  when  I  speak  of  honor!  You  are  thinking  of  that 


23O  THE  MAN. 

leaf  from  the  death  register  containing  the  date  of  Antoinette  Man* 
rices  death.  Well,  sir,  I  have  nothing  to  reply  to  that.  I  bow  my 
head  with  shame,  but  not  as  low  as  you  think  I  should,  perhaps — 
for  I  did  not  falsify  that  record.  I  did  not  lay  a  plan  to  deceive  and 
carry  it  out.  The  date  was  printed  incorrectly  in  the  commissioner's 
report,  which  I  found  at  Washington — you  may  go  and  look  at  it. 
I  telegraphed  at  once  to  Lima  to  ascertain  the  truth,  and  my  agent, 
the  subtlest  of  Spaniards,  must  have  conceived  that  I  wished  to  have 
the  mortuary  register  support  the  public  document.  He  made  the 
erasure  and  substitution,  beyond  a  doubt,  as  he  abstracted  the  leaf 
— after  you  had  obtained  your  certificate." 

"  Well,"  said  Dr.  Haworth  briefly. 

Col.  Ross  looked  at  him  and  said  gloomily : 

"  After  all,  you  are  right !  It  was  a  low  business  to  offer  that 
paper  as  the  price  of  Miss  Maurice's  hand  !  I  believed  it  to  be  genu 
ine — that  Antoinette  Maurice  died  in  October,  1 860,  after  her  hus 
band's  second  marriage — that  Miss  Maurice  was  not  born  in  wed 
lock  !  I  meant  to  burn  the  record  in  Mrs.  Maurice's  presence  !  And 
if  I  attempted  to  make  my  profit  of  it  before  doing  so,  you,  at  least, 
sir,  ought  to  have  some  charity  for  my  weakness !  " 

Col.  Ross  looked  down  with  contracted  brows ;  then  he  resumed 
moodily : 

"  I  regret  that — if  it  were  to  do  over  again  I  would  rather  cut 
off  my  hand !  To  return  to  the  main  affair.  You  came  to  this 
country  to  unearth  these  old  matters,  and  I  saw  from  the  first  that 
you  were  a  dangerous  adversary.  I  was  in  the  real  murderer's 
power  and  he  was  in  the  power  of  the  Pitts-Wilkins  woman,  who 
had  reached  Mr.  Maurice's  room  in  time  to  see  him  as  he  escaped, 
and  to  steal  the  money.  She  had  it  beneath  her  apron  when  she 
came  out  into  the  hall.  I  say  that  the  murderer — he  was  not  Wil- 
kins — had  me  in  his  power,  or  at  least  my  good  name.  He  had 
kept  the  note  in  which  I  had  spoken  of  the  murder  of  '  our  friend  at 
Mauricewood  '  with  a  hammer  or  by  garroting — and  that  note,  meant 
as  a  jest,  was  signed  with  my  name.  It  might  not  hang  me  as  an 
accomplice — it  would  fix  an  ineffaceable  stain  upon  my  name.  Do 
you  wonder  then  that  I  was  interested  in  shielding  all  these  parties 
who  could  point  their  fingers  at  me  as  their  confederate?  The 
murderer  denied  having  kept  the  note — I  knew  that  he  lied.  He 
had  not  only  kept  it,  but  informed  the  woman  Wilkins  of  it,  and  the 
price  of  her  silence  was  the  enjoyment  of  the  stolen  money.  Thus 


COL.  ROSS  ON  THE  SUBJECT  OF  RATTLESNAKES.  231 

I  was  tangled  in  the  detestable  net — took  night  rides — was  watched 
in  my  turn,  until  one  day,  weary  of  all  this,  you  did  what  the  son  of 
Henry  Ducis  had  the  right  to  do — you  obtained  warrants  for  the 
arrest  of  the  whole  crew,  myself  included  ! 

"  I  was  notified  that  the  warrants  had  been  made  out  and  that 
they  would  be  served  on  me  in  the  morning ;  and  yielding  to  cow 
ardly  apprehension  found  that  I  had  business  in  Washington  !  The 
other  wretches  were  also  warned  and  disappeared.  I  only  differed 
from  them  in  one  thing,  that  shame  and  my  pride  of  gentleman 
made  me  come  back  here  to  face  the  charge !  I  was  innocent,  in 
intent  at  least,  of  the  death  of  James  Maurice  and  Henry  Ducis.  As 
I  had  never  meant  to  advise  anybody  to  commit  murder,  I  had  at 
least  the  luxury  of  a  good  conscience  !  I  intended  to  fight  it  out  to 
the  end,  and  keep  back  that  foolish  note  if  possible ;  but  I  never  in 
tended  to  hang  in  place  of  my  worthy  friend,  the  real  murderer,  who 
evidently  means  to  sacrifice  me !  " 

"  Is  he  living  ?  "  said  Dr.  Haworth,  looking  at  Col.  Ross  intently. 

"  Living  ?  Certainly.  You  are  acquainted — I  believe  intimately 
acquainted— with  him." 

"/  acquainted  with  the  murderer  of  James  Maurice  and  my 
father ! " 

"  Necessarily,  since  you  have  applied  to  him  to  assist  you  in  your 
laudable  object  of  relieving  your  father's  name  from  the  stain  upon 
it." 

"  /  appealed  to  him  ?  " 

"  And  he  promptly  aided  you,  and  issued  the  warrant  for  my 
arrest — only  he  privately  informed  me  an  hour  afterwards  that  I  had 
better  have  business  elsewhere.  In  other  words,"  said  Col.  Ross 
coolly,  "the  wretch  who  murdered  James  Maurice  and  your  father, 
Henry  Ducis,  was  the  excellent  Prof.  Lesner." 


XIV. 

COL.  ROSS  ON  THE  SUBJECT  OF  RATTLESNAKES. 

DR.  HAWORTH  looked  at  Col.  Ross  with  the  profoundest  aston 
ishment. 

"  Prof.  Lesner !  "  he  exclaimed. 

"  Certainly — Prof.  Lesner.   I  did  not  tell  you  his  name  before,  as 


JfOSS  ON   THE   SUBJECT  OF  RATTLESNAKES 

I  thought  it  would  interfere  with  my  narrative,"  said  Col.  Ross  com 
posedly.  "  The  real  murderer,  I  repeat,  of  James  Maurice  and  Henry 
Ducis  is  the  respectable,  the  amiable,  the  excellent  Prof.  Lesner, 
who  finds  in  birds  and  bees  the  tranquil  enjoyment  experienced  by 
men  of  simple  tastes  in  their  home  surroundings.  You  know  the 
Professor?  He  is  a  model  man.  He  would  not  hurt  a  fly.  He  is 
wrapped  up  in  his  books  and  bees — smiles  sweetly  on  everybody — 
and  holds  the  commission  of  justice  of  the  Peace !  In  other 
words,  he  is  a  living  lie — a  whited  sepulchre,  as  the  Good  Book  says 
— a  cowardly  murderer,  gray  before  his  time,  for  he  is  scarcely  more 
than  50 — and  feeds  on  opium  to  drug  his  conscience  !  " 

Dr.  Haworth  said  nothing.  It  was  doubtful  from  the  expression 
of  his  face  whether  he  believed  Col.  Ross. 

''  That  is  a  strange  statement,"  he  said  at  length. 

"  Which  I  see  you  do  not  attach  any  importance  to,"  replied 
Col.  Ross.  "  In  other  words,  my  dear  sir,  you  think  my  whole  nar 
rative  is  a  tissue  of  lies — that  I  was  the  real  author  of  that  murder 
— and  that  I  am  simply  adding  a  crowning  lie  in  charging  another 
person  with  the  offense." 

Dr.  Haworth  made  no  reply. 

"  It  is  rather  unpleasant  to  feel  that  one's  word  is  doubted,"  said 
Col.  Ross,  coolly,  "  but  I  suppose  it  is  natural.  I  allow  that  after 
that  death-register  business  you  have  the  right  to  think  ill  of  me. 
So  be  it.  And  yet  you  will  soon  find  that  I  am  telling  you  the 
truth.  I  shall  denounce  Prof.  Lesner  to-morrow  in  open  court  as 
the  murderer — and  the  woman  Wilkins  will  be  offered  a  pardon  and 
put  on  the  witness  stand.  There  will  be  no  trouble  about  that,  as 
she  is,  in  reality,  only  a  thief.  She  only  saw  the  murderer  as  he 
was  escaping  and  will  testify  as  to  his  identity.  Is  that  plain  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Dr.  Haworth. 

"  There  will  be  no  trouble  whatever,"  repeated  Col.  Ross,  "  and 
I  rather  enjoy  the  new  phase  of  things,  since  my  dear  friend  Lesner 
forces  my  hand.  To  be  plain,  I  did  not  know  the  extent  of  the 
evidence  you  had  collected  against  me,  and  thought  a  simple  denial 
of  any  connection  with  the  murder  would  suffice.  You  have  been 
more  skillful  than  I  thought — and  in  fact  since  yesterday  I  have 
been  meditating  this  coupe  de  main.  Lesner  will,  of  course,  produce 
my  jesting  note  to  him,  and  that  will  be  unpleasant — but  it  will  not 
be  so  unpleasant  as  hanging,  or  spending  the  rest  of  my  life  in  the 
State  Prison." 


COL.  ROSS  ON  THE  SUBJECT  OF  RA  TTLESNAKES.  333 

"Prof.  Lesner  the  murderer!"  said  Dr.  Haworth  with  a  last 
remnant  of  doubt. 

"  Yes,  he  was  the  real  and  actual  murderer  of  James  Maurice," 
said  CoL  Ross  in  a  matter  of  fact  tone.  "  I  see  you  find  it  rather 
difficult  to  believe,  but  it  is  nevertheless  the  fact.  Human  nature  is 
a  curious  affair,  and  this  man  is  a  curious  specimen  of  it.  I  have 
known  him  a  long  time,  and  have  often  made  him  the  subject  of  re 
flection.  He  is  a  cowardly  cur,  as  I  have  said,  and  as  full  of  venom 
as  a  rattlesnake.  He  had  strong  passions,  and  was  not  held  back 
by  any  sentiment  from  gratifying  them,  for  he  never  had  any  relig 
ious  belief  of  any  sort,  or  the  least  trace  of  what  gentlemen  call 
honor.  He  was  quite  poor  at  the  time  when  he  paid  his  addresses 
to  Miss  Maurice,  who  was  an  heiress.  As  to  his  love,  it  was  no 
doubt  only  the  love  of  an  animal.  Hate  was  his  mainspring,  how 
ever,  and  I  think  the  gratification  of  that  weighed  more  with  him 
than  success  in  his  suit.  But  the  subject  is  not  particularly  pleas 
ant.  It  has  been  your  luck  to  see  only  one  of  these  traits — his 
hypocrisy." 

"  Such  hypocrisy  is  incredible !  " 

"  Well,"  said  Col.  Ross,  "  it  is  curious  how  many  things  are  in 
credible  to  us  until  they  are  plain  to  our  eyes.  This  man  I  say  has 
been  a  real  study  to  me.  He  seems  to  have  enjoyed  life  since  the 
murder.  He  is  a  scholar,  fond  of  books — appears  to  derive  real 
happiness  from  his  birds  and  bees — is  the  model  of  a  kindly  host, 
smiles  on  everybody  and  seems  to  love  the  whole  human  race. 
Perhaps  he  lives  in  an  atmosphere  of  opium." 

"Yes." 

"  That  may  explain  things.  I  have  never  tried  the  drug,  but  it 
is  said  to  make  a  man  oblivious  of  the  real  world,  to  produce  forget- 
fulness.  I  suppose  a  cobra  or  rattlesnake  under  its  effect  would 
forget  how  many  victims  he  had  bitten !  I  have  not  seen  our  friend 
much  of  late  years — in  fact,  since  his  friend  John  Maurice  died  so 
suddenly." 

"  John  Maurice  ?    You  mean  James  Maurice." 

"  I  mean  John  Maurice.  His  death  took  place  a  year  or  two 
after  his  marriage,  and  under  very  peculiar  circumstances.  He  was 
a  little  unwell  and  sent  for  Dr.  Seabright,  who  was  absent  from 
home.  Luckily,  or  unluckily  rather,  Prof.  Lesner  happened  to  be  at 
Mauricewood,  and  prescribed  for  him — he  had  been  a  professor  of 
medicine  once." 


2$ACOL.    ROSS  ON    THE    SUBJECT  OF  RATTLESNAKES 

Dr.  Haworth  looked  at  Col.  Ross,  recalling  the  words  uttered  by 
Dr.  Seabright  during  his  first  visit  to  him. 

"  All  this  is  rather  scandalous,"  added  Col.  Ross  negligently, 
"  since  there  was  no  proof.  Something  was  said  of  a  mistake  hav 
ing  been  made  in  the  medicine  by  Prof.  Lesner — one  preparation  of 
antimony  was  administered  instead  of  another.  One  was  harmless, 
the  other  an  active  poison — unfortunately,  Mr.  Maurice  swallowed 
the  poison." 

"  It  is  impossible — ! " 

"  Well,  I  see  that  you  do  not  like  to  listen  to  these  scandalous 
imputations  on  the  character  of  so  estimable  a  gentleman  as  your 
friend  the  Professor,"  said  Col.  Ross,  "  and  it  is  rather  unfair,  per 
haps,  to  allude  to  them.  Ask  Dr.  Seabright.  Mr.  John  Maurice 
certainly  died  very  suddenly  from  one  cause  or  another — from  what 
he  swallowed,  Dr.  Seabright  said.  Let  that  pass." 

Dr.  Haworth  listened  to  this  appalling  charge  without  comment, 
and  a  long  silence  followed. 

"  Well,  sir,"  he  said  at  length,  "  it  is  only  necessary  for  me  to 
say  now  that  I  believe  what  you  have  stated.  To-morrow  will 
show  whether  I  am  right  or  wrong." 

Col.  Ross  bowed,  and  said  coolly : 

"  I  am  pleased  to  hear  that  you  believe  my  word,  sir.  You  are 
not  effusive  in  your  assurances,  but  I  suppose  I  ought  not  to  expect 
you  to  say  more.  Whether  you  believe  or  disbelieve  my  statement, 
it  is  the  truth.  That  jesting  note  to  the  wretch  Lesner  was  a  fearful 
imprudence — it  was  no  more.  If  I  had  dreamed  that  it  would  have 
led  to  murder  I  would  certainly  never  have  written  it.  You  will 
say  that  I  should  have  spoken  out  and  cleared  the  memory  of  your 
father  on  my  return.  Yes — I  should  have  done  so,  but  I  was  told 
that  no  human  being  believed  that  he  was  really  guilty.  I  ought  to 
have  exposed  the  murderer — yes,  but  the  result  would  have  been  a 
stain  on  my  name.  I  have  often  resolved  to  do  so,  but  I  had  not  the 
courage.  You  see  I  am  frank.  I  say  as  frankly  that  the  threat  to 
proclaim  the  fact  that  the  present  Mrs.  Maurice  was  never  lawfully 
married  to  her  husband  was  disgraceful,  but  a  threat  only  in  ap 
pearance.  I  swear  to  you  that  I  meant  to  burn  that  paper  before 
her  eyes,  under  any  circumstances,  and  return  to  Washington  and 
take  steps  to  declare  the  date  in  the  commissioner's  report  an  error. 
If  I  was  guilty  of  an  offense  which  no  gentleman  should  have  been 
guilty  of — if  I  believed  the  record  was  true,  and  said  to  Mrs.  Mau- 


COL.  ROSS  ON  THE  SUBJECT  OF  RATTLESNAKES.  235 

rice :  '  There  is  the  proof  that  you  were  never  married,  and  that 
Miss  Maurice  is  not  legally  your  daughter — give  me  her  hand  as 
my  wife,'  I  am  sorry  for  it  and  ashamed  of  it.  I  shall  only  repeat, 
sir,  that  you,  my  successful  rival,  ought  to  weigh  my  temptation 
and  be  a  little  charitable." 

Col.  Ross  did  not  utter  these  words  in  any  tone  of  feeling,  much 
less  of  humility.  He  spoke  coolly  and  with  a  certain  pride. 

"  Men — honorable  men — commit  these  offenses  sometimes,"  he 
added,  "  and  if  the  ladies  come  into  court  to-morrow  and  testify  to 
everything  I  shall  instruct  my  counsel  to  admit  their  statements 
without  a  word  and  permit  them  to  go  to  the  jury  undisputed  and 
unmodified." 

Dr.  Haworth  bowed  gravely. 

"  It  was  unnecessary  to  introduce  that  testimony,"  he  said,  "  but 
it  may  be  unavoidable  now.  The  point  of  most  interest  is  the 
probable  evidence  of  Prof.  Lesner,  who  has  also  been  summoned." 

"  Yes,"  said  Col.  Ross.  "  Well,  if  he  does  not  abscond  the 
scene  will  be  interesting.  He  will  fight  like  a  cat  in  the  corner  and 
deny  everything,  of  course.  When  the  woman  is  pardoned  and  the 
murder  is  brought  home  to  him,  he  will,  of  course,  produce  my 
note  and  attempt  to  drag  me  down  with  him,  but  I  shall  anticipate 
all  this  and  formally  denounce  him  as  the  real  murderer  of  James 
Maurice,  on  the  opening  of  the  court  to-morrow." 

Col.  Ross  rose  and  said  : 

"  I  believe  that  is  all  I  wished  to  say.  I  am  detaining  you,  sir. 
The  hour  is  late  and  you  have  a  ride  before  you.  I  need  not  again 
call  your  attention  to  the  fact  that  if  you  had  not  stated  that  you 
were  the  son  of  Mr.  Ducis  I  should  not  have  troubled  you  with  this 
long  explanation.  Your  announcement  of  that  fact  produced  a  very 
painful  impression  upon  me.  Allow  me  to  say  once  more  that  I  re 
gard  myself  as  a  gentleman,  in  spite  of  appearances,  so  I  thought  I 
owed  you  this  statement.  My  silence  when  a  word  might  have  re 
instated  Mr.  Ducis  has  been  a  lasting  source  of  self-reproach  to  me. 
I  can  only  repeat  that  everybody,  including  the  very  family  of  the  mur 
dered  man,  scouted  the  idea  of  his  guilt  and  attributed  the  murder 
to  some  unknown  person.  That  is  all  I  have  to  say  at  present,  sir." 

Dr.  Haworth  had  risen  and  the  two  men  bowed  to  each  other. 

"  To-morrow  will  probably  convince  you  whether  I  have  spoken 
the  truth  or  not,"  said  Col.  Ross. 

And  so  the  interview  ended. 


236 


MR.   DUNN  INDULGES  IN  A    WITTICISM. 


XV. 

MR.  DUNN  INDULGES   IN  A   PROFESSIONAL  WITTICISM. 

PROF.  LESNER  had  not  absconded,  but  the  summons  to  appear 
and  testify  found  him  so  unwell  that  he  was  unable  to  attend  court. 
He  would  be  sufficiently  strong,  however,  he  said,  to  be  present  on 
the  next  day ;  in  the  meanwhile  other  witnesses  might  be  examined, 
and  perhaps  the  issue  of  the  warrants,  the  return,  etc.,  might  be 
shown  by  other  testimony. 

When  court  opened  on  the  following  morning,  this  message  was 
communicated  to  Mr.  Dunn,  and  he  said : 

"  Well,  there's  no  real  necessity  for  pulling  the  old  gentleman 
out  of  his  sick-bed  for  a  small  matter  of  that  sort.  If  he  is  able  to 
attend  to-morrow  we  can  examine  him  ;  if  not,  we'll  swear  the  con 
stable  and  get  at  the  facts." 

Mr.  Dunn  examined  his  notes  and  said  t 

"  The  next  point  is  the  return  of  Col.  Ross,  which  was  said  yes 
terday  to  be  for  a  purpose,  other  than  his  trial.  Mr.  Timothy 
Maurice  and  the  ladies  of  his  family,  it  seems,  can  testify  upon  this 
subject.  Are  they  present  ?  " 

"  Mr.  Tim  Maurice  came  forward  alone,  and  any  one  looking  at 
Col.  Ross,  seated  as  usual  behind  Mr.  Shirley,  might  have  seen  on 
his  face  an  expression  of  immense  relief.  Mr.  Tim  Maurice  had 
not  been  present  at  the  interview  between  himself  and  Mrs.  Mau 
rice,  and  the  ladies  were  not  going  to  appear. 

He  was  quite  right.  Mr.  Tim  Maurice's  testimony  was  unim 
portant.  Col.  Ross,  he  said,  had  visited  Mauricewood  on  his  return 
from  Washington.  His  former  relations  with  the  family  had  been 
intimate,  and  the  visit  had  been  connected  with  family  affairs. 
These  did  not  concern  the  case  before  the  court  in  any  manner,  and 
his  niece  and  her  daughter  would  prefer  not  to  be  compelled  to  make 
them  public.  He  was  authorized  by  them  to  say  that  the  interview 
had  no  bearing  whatever  on  the  investigation. 

Mr.  Dunn  bowed  politely,  and  said  that  under  the  circumstances 
it  would  be  unnecessary  to  insist  on  the  presence  of  the  ladies.  But 
Mr.  Sparrow  suspected  a  ruse.  This  ready  acquiescence  was  sus- 
p\cious ;  and  before  Mr.  Shirley  could  stop  him  he  rose  and  insisted 
that  the  witnesses  should  be  brought  into  court. 

He  did  not  like  the  look  of  the  thing,  he  said,  fighting  imaginary 


MR.    DUNN  INDULGES  IN  A    WITTICISM.       237 

windmills.  The  attorney  for  the  Commonwealth  had  issued  his 
summons ;  a  summons  was  a  summons ;  he  meant  himself  to  con 
duct  this  case  in  a  straightforward  manner  ;  and  Mr.  Sparrow 
seemed  about  to  hop  over  the  desk  before  him,  to  the  huge  disgust 
of  Col.  Ross  and  Mr.  Shirley,  who  endeavored  in  vain  to  restrain 
him. 

Then  he  sat  down  and  Mr.  Dunn  got  up.  His  face  was  bland, 
and  he  smiled — but  the  expression  of  his  eye  was  sanguinary.  He 
proceeded  to  flay  Mr.  Sparrow,  to  rub  vitriol  figuratively  into  the 
wounds,  and  to  cruelly  demolish  what  was  left  of  him.  He  then 
laughed  and  took  his  seat,  leaving  the  Judge  to  decide  the  point. 

Judge  Bootlack  endeavored  to  do  so,  but  the  judicial  luminary 
was  under  the  weather.  He  had  partaken  of  so  many  nightcaps  on 
the  preceding  night  that  his  great  intellect  was  clouded ;  he  had  a 
headache,  he  said,  and  would  reserve  his  decision  until  the  after 
noon  ;  and  as  the  dinner  hour  was  near  he  would  adjourn  court. 

This  was  accordingly  done  in  the  midst  of  general  hilarity,  and 
the  Judge,  having  descended  unsteadily  from  the  platform,  disap 
peared  in  the  direction  of  the  tavern. 

After  dinner  the  court  did  not  resume  its  session.  Judge  Boot- 
lack  was  unwell.  It  was  said  that  he  had  made  every  effort  to  re 
gain  strength  to  resume  his  official  duties  ;  that  he  had  partaken  of 
alcoholic  beverages  at  the  bar  and  retired  to  his  chamber  to  lie  down, 
and  finding  himself  still  indisposed  had  sent  for  additional  tonics  of 
the  same  description,  about  a  dozen  times  in  succession.  This  still 
having  failed  to  revive  him,  there  was  no  afternoon  session  of  the 
court,  and  the  witnesses  in  the  case  were  bound  over  to  be  present 
on  the  next  day. 

Mr.  Dunn  then  put  on  his  hat  and  linked  his  arm  in  that  of  his 
friend  Sparrow.  They  fought  savagely  in  public,  but  were  bosom 
companions. 

"  It's  sad,  very  sad,"  said  Mr.  Dunn  in  a  pathetic  voice,  "  that 
our  friend,  the  Judge,  is  stronger  mentally  than  physically." 

"  It  is,  indeed,"  said  Mr.  Sparrow,  laughing. 

"  One  hope,  however,  consoles  me,"  said  Mr.  Dunn,  "  I  think  he 
will  meander  into  court  to-morrow  on  the  strength  of  old  Coke's 
maxim." 

"  What  maxim  ?  " 

"  Id  cerium  est  quod  cerium  reddt  potest.  Free  translation ; 
'  It  is  certain  what  a  certain  red-eye  can  do ! ' ' 


338       MR.    BURDETTE   BESTOWS  HIS  BLESSING. 

XVI. 

MR.   BURDETTE  BESTOWS  HIS   BLESSING. 

"  I  SAY,  Haworth — no,  Ducis ! "  exclaimed  Mr.  Burdette,  walk 
ing  in  the  Mauricewood  grounds  on  the  same  evening,  "  is  this  the 
way  you  do  things  in  the  South  ?  " 

"  What  things,  my  dear  friend  ?  " 

"  Murder  trials  and  murder  generally,  secret  assassination  and 
that  sort  of  thing !  What  do  you  mean  ?  Don't  you  know  that  you 
are  calling  down  on  your  heads  the  denunciation  of  the  civilized 
world  ?  This  thing  is  going  to  get  into  the  papers,  Haworth — no, 
Ducis.  You  can't  fool  the  press.  Why  not  cover  it  up  somehow 
and  prevent  the  horror  from  being  exposed  as  an  evidence  of  the 
barbarism  of  the  South?  Such  things  never  take  place  else 
where." 

"  Well,  elsewhere  is  lucky." 

"  In  fact,  I  don't  believe  the  thing  took  place  at  all !  Prof.  Les- 
ner  concerned  in  it  ?  Good  heavens !  that  splendid  old  boy  ?  " 

"  You  have  Col.  Ross'  statement.  I  have  repeated  it,  as  it  was 
not  made  in  confidence." 

"  Well,  well,"  sighed  Mr.  Burdette,  "  if  anybody  had  told  me 
that  I  was  publishing  for  a  murderer  I  should  have  laughed  in 
scorn  !  How  lucky  I  got  away  from  his  hospitable  establishment, 
and  how  unlucky  his  name  is  not  on  the  title  page  of  '  Psychology 
of  Opium  ! '  The  whole  edition  would  go  off  like  hot  cakes,  though 
I  should  feel  like  putting  the  proceeds  in  the  fire  instead  of  into  my 
pocket." 

Having  thus  unburdened  his  mind,  Mr.  Burdette  asked : 

"  Do  you  think  he  will  appear  to-morrow  as  a  witness  ?  " 

"  I  think  so." 

"  It  will  be  a  remarkable  scene !  And  do  you  really  think  Col. 
Ross  will  publicly  denounce  him  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  I'll  be  present  without  fail.  And  now  let  me  repeat  a  question 
I  asked  the  other  day." 

"  What  is  that  ?  " 

"  Are  you  literary  ?  If  so,  I  want  you  to  write  up  this  affair, 
It's  a  stunner,  and  would  curdle  the  blood." 

"  I  thought  you  said  tragedy  was  out  of  fashion  ?  " 


MR.  BURDETTE  BESTOWS  HIS  BLESSING.      339 

"  You  might  make  it  comic,  you  see ;  and  get  in  a  lily  and  a  sun 
flower  ! " 

"I'm  not  literary,  and  there  is  not  much  of  the  lily  about  Prof. 
Lesner.  Yes,  you  were  fortunate  in  getting  away  from  that  den  with 
your  nice  little  Miss  Giorgione.  There  she  is  yonder  on  the  veran 
da,  and  I  think  she  has  a  companion — Mr.  Jean  Baptiste  Maurice. 
Is  she  going  to  marry  him  ?  " 

"  I  asked  her  yesterday,"  said  Mr.  Burdette,  laughing,  "  and  she 
proposed  to  box  me,  but  as  she  blushed  tremendously  I  suppose 
she  is." 

"  Jean  could  not  be  more  lucky.  I  thought  he  had  made  an  im 
pression  upon  her  in  Lima." 

"  They  might  be  married  at  once.  I  never  saw  a  boy  so  much 
in  love  !  I  said  to  him  yesterday  :  '  I  can't  get  a  word  with  you  ! 
You  are  always  poking  about,  looking  for  Giorgione  ! '  He  blushed 
worse  than  she  did.  Send  for  a  parson  and  marry  the  young  ones  ! 
I'll  stand  godfather — and  it  may  be  a  double  wedding." 

"  A  double  wedding  ?  " 

"  You  and  the  fair  Miss  Gary  might  embrace  the  occasion  ;  em 
brace  is  not  a  bad  word  !  " 

As  Dr.  Haworth  simply  smiled  and  made  no  reply,  it  is  possible 
that  he  did  not  regard  Mr.  Burdette's  suggestion  as  altogether  absurd. 

"  I  have  no  time  to  think  of  such  matters,"  he  said  quietly.  "  I 
have  been  quite  busy  this  morning." 

"  Holding  Miss  Gary's  fan  or  worsted  ?  " 

"No,  purchasing  an  estate.  I  have  bought  back  my  family 
property — the  Ducis  estate  in  this  county.  I  found  no  difficulty  in 
doing  so  by  offering  more  than  its  value.  The  deeds  are  executed 
and  the  place  is  again  my  property." 

"  You  are  not  going  to  return  to  South  America,  then  ?  " 

"  I  am  not." 

"  Well,  well,  I  might  have  understood  that !  What  a  world,  and 
how  would  it  get  along  without  woman  ?  It  would  certainly  get 
along  differently.  They  pick  a  fellow  up  and  set  him  down  when 
and  where  they  fancy  !  " 

"  A  profound  truth." 

"  And  you  are  set  down — twisted  around  a  girl's  finger !  Poor 
old  boy,  or  young  man,  whichever  you  prefer !  No  more  haciendas, 
and  mangrove  trees,  and  delightful  bananas  !  No  more  opportuni 
ties  of  entertaining  your  friend  Burdette — I" 


240      MR-    BURDETTE   HE  STOWS  HIS  BLESSING. 

"  Why  not  ?  Come  to  '  Brierland,'  the  name  of  our  home ;  there 
are  no  briers  to  scratch  you.  You  know  the  door  will  always  be 
open." 

"  I'll  come  !  "  said  Mr.  Burdette,  "  and  divide  my  time  between 
Giorgione  and  her  husband  at  Mauricewood,  and  Gen.  Henry  Ha- 
worth  Ducis  and  bride  at  the  brierless  Brierland." 

On  the  same  evening  that  wicked  Mr.  Burdette  said  to  his 
charge : 

"  Giorgione,  I  think  I  will  leave  you  here  for  a  week  or  two,  when 
I  return  day  after  to-morrow." 

"  Leave  me  here  ?  "  exclaimed  the  young  lady,  greatly  outraged. 

"  With  this  young  Apollo,  Mr.  Jean  Baptiste  Maurice — hadn't  I 
better  ?  " 

"  No,  sir ! ! ! "  cried  Miss  Giorgione  blushing  crimson. 

"  He  is  not  coming  North,  you  know — he's  going  back  to  Lima." 

"  Miss  Giorgione  could  not  blush  more  deeply,  but  she  looked 
down  and  played  with  the  cuff  of  her  dress,  smiling. 

"  Well,  I  see  it's  all  arranged,  and  he's  not  going  back  in  the 
least." 

And  as  Jean  came  up  at  the  moment,  and  approached  Miss 
Giorgione,  Mr.  Burdette  yielded  to  a  sudden  inspiration,  cleared  his 
throat,  extended  his  arms  above  the  pair  in  the  attitude  of  the  stage 
father,  and  exclaimed  in  a  faltering  voice  : 

"  Bless  you,  my  children  ! " 

Jean  laughed  and  blushed,  and  Miss  Giorgione  was  overwhelmed 
with  confusion. 

"  I  will  now  add  a  few  words  of  exhortation,  my  young  friends," 
said  Mr.  Burdette,  solemnly;  "a  brief  lecture  on  the  interest 
ing  subject  of  matrimony,  its  drawbacks  and  attractions.  Matri 
mony — " 

But  a  stifled  laugh  behind  him  interrupted  Mr.  Burdette.  He 
turned  around  and  found  himself  face  to  face  with  Miss  Gary  Mau 
rice  and  Dr.  Haworth,  who  had  come  in  from  their  twilight  walk. 

"  You  are  just  in  time,  Excellency ! "  exclaimed  Jean,  "  Mr.  Bur 
dette  is  going  to  lecture.  You  and  sister  Gary  can  join  the  audience  !  " 

"What  is  the  lecture  about,  Jean?"  said  Gary  to  her  new 
brother,  laying  her  hand  affectionately  on  his  shoulder. 

"  About  matrimony ! "  said  Jean,  looking  at  Miss  Giorgione  with 
all  his  soul  in  his  eyes.  "  What  do  you  think  of  that,  Excellency  ?  " 

"  I  think  he  is  entitled  to  lecture  on  that  subject,"  said  Dr, 


THE  END   OF   THE    TRIAL. 


24I 


Havvorth.  "  His  own  experience  has  been  charming — if  I  may 
judge  from  personal  observation." 

"  Gracias,  Senor !  "  said  Mr.  Burdette  saluting,  "  and  now  as  I 
am  going  to  say  adios  to  this  amiable  household  I  will  not  neglect 
the  occasion  to  finish  my  good  work.  As  my  young  friend,  Mr. 
Jean  Baptiste  Maurice,  has  perspicuously  observed,  you  have  ar 
rived  just  in  time — if  not  to  be  present  when  I  bestowed  my  bless 
ing  upon  himself  and  this  fair  damsel,  at  least  to  hear  their  engage 
ment  announced.  They  are  about  to  be  united  in  the  holy  bonds 
of  matrimony,  and  I  have  pronounced  my  paternal  benediction.  I 
think  others  will  be  gratified  by  that  same,  also." 

Dr.  Haworth  was  standing  by  the  side  of  Miss  Gary,  and  Mr. 
Burdette  suddenly  extended  his  arms  above  them. 

"  Bless  you  also,  my  children  !  "  he  exclaimed  in  a  broken  voice ; 
after  which,  as  the  scene  overcame  him,  the  noble  stage  parent 
bent  double  with  laughter. 

Miss  Gary  escaped  from -the  room,  carrying  Miss  Giorgione  with 
her  in  a  state  of  immense  confusion,  and  Mr.  Burdette  winked  at  his 
friend  Haworth. 

"  Really,  this  thing  is  getting  too  strong !  "  he  exclaimed.  "  Are 
the  couples  coming  to  the  ark  ?  Is  all  the  world  and  his  wife  going 
to  be  married  over  again  ?  I  never  saw  such  a  love-sick  establish 
ment  !  Let  me  fly  to  Mrs.  B. !  If  I  don't  I'll  catch  the  contagion 
and  make  love  to  the  widow ! " 


XVII. 

THE  END  OF  THE  TRIAL. 

DR.  HAWORTH  had  not  echoed  the  laughter  of  his  friend.  His 
thoughts  were  too  much  absorbed  in  the  gloomy  drama  whose  last 
scenes  were  now  about  to  be  played.  The  next  day  would  doubt 
less  witness  the  end  of  the  trial  at  Abbeyville,  and  the  curious  spec 
tacle  would  be  presented  of  Col.  Ross  and  Prof.  Lesner  confronting 
each  other  in  open  court  and  each  charging  the  other  with  murder. 

Would  Prof.  Lesner  have  the  nerve  to  defy  his  old  associate  ?  It 
was  probable.  If  Col.  Ross  had  accurately  described  his  character 
he  would  fight  desperately  when  driven  into  a  corner,  taking  the 
chances.  There  was  little  probability  that  he  would  attempt  to  ab- 


242  THE  END    OF    THE    TRIAL. 

scond,  and  under  any  circumstances  that  would  be  impossible.  He 
was  watched  by  an  agent  of  Dr.  Haworth,  whose  whole  soul  was 
now  bent  on  definitely  relieving  the  name  of  his  father  from  the  im 
putations  resting  upon  it. 

The  next  day  came  and  the  party  from  Mauricewood  reached 
Abbeyville  before  the  opening  of  court.  The  streets  were  already 
thronged,  and  the  crowd  had  already  begun  to  flock  to  the  court 
house.  At  1 1  o'clock  the  room  was  packed,  and  by  order  of  Judge 
Bootlack,  who  looked  solemn  and  said  little,  the  crier  opened  court. 

Mr.  Dunn  was  observed  to  be  uncommonly  grave,  and  uttered 
not  a  single  jest.  From  time  to  time  he  looked  at  Col.  Ross,  who 
was  seated  behind  Mr.  Shirley,  and  with  even  more  attention  at  Mr. 
Shirley  himself,  as  if  he  were  studying  the  demeanor  of  that  master 
under  peculiar  circumstances. 

Dr.  Haworth  had  in  fact  communicated  to  Mr.  Dunn  Col.  Ross" 
statement  after  an  interview  with  the  latter  at  the  jail,  and  Mr.  Shir 
ley  had  received  a  similar  confidence  from  his  client,  Col.  Ross. 

Thus  it  was  known  to  the  counsel  on  both  sides  that  the  whole 
case  henceforward  hinged  upon  Prof.  Lesner — that  from  the  char 
acter  of  a  simple  witness  to  an  immaterial  point,  the  return  on  the 
warrants,  he  had  passed  to  the  character  of  the  real  criminal,  the 
murderer  of  James  Maurice. 

As  soon  as  court  was  opened  Mr.  Dunn  said  in  the  midst  of  a 
profound  silence : 

"  Is  Prof.  Lesner  in  court  ?  " 

"  He  was  sent  for  this  morning,  sir,"  said  the  officer  addressed, 
"  and  it  is  time  for  him  to  be  here." 

Something  in  the  tones  of  Mr.  Dunn  seemed  to  produce  a  vague 
impression  upon  the  crowd.  The  silence  was  like  death.  In  the 
midst  of  it  the  sound  of  hoofs  was  heard  on  the  cobblestones  of  the 
street,  and  a  constable  pushed  his  way  in  a  moment  afterward 
through  the  dense  crowd. 

"  Well,  where  is  Prof.  Lesner?"  said  Mr.  Dunn;  "you  served 
the  new  summons  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,"  said  the  constable  in  a  low  voice. 

"Where  is  he?" 

"He  was  found  dead." 

Mr.  Dunn  looked  the  man  in  the  face  for  a  moment  without 
speaking.  He  then  said : 

"  Dead  ?    You  say  that  you  found  Prof.  Lesner  dead  ?  " 


THE  END   OF   THE    TRIAL. 


243 


"  Yes,  sir ;  in  his  chair,  with  a  book  on  his  knees." 

A  profound  silence  followed  the  words — not  a  soul  in  the  vast 
audience  moved. 

"  Tell  the  court  everything,"  said  Mr.  Dunn,  calmly. 

There  was  not  much  more  to  tell.  The  constable  had  gone  to 
Prof.  Lesner's  with  a  peremptory  summons  two  hours  before  and 
knocked  at  the  door.  No  one  replying  to  his  knock,  he  had  gone  in, 
opened  the  door  of  the  library  on  the  right  and  seen  the  Professor 
leaning  back  with  a  smile  on  his  lips  in  a  large  arm-chair.  Some 
pet  birds  were  singing,  everything  looked  peaceful,  and  he  supposed 
the  Professor  was  taking  a  nap.  When  he  called,  the  Professor  did 
not  open  his  eyes,  however,  and  after  shaking  him  the  officer  touched 
his  face.  It  was  cold.  Prof.  Lesner  was  dead. 

For  the  first  time,  the  great  audience  stirred  and  murmured,  mov 
ing  to  and  fro  as  if  overcome  by  the  tragic  report  of  the  constable. 

"  That  is  all,  then  ?  "  said  Mr.  Dunn. 

"  I  found  this  paper  in  his  hand,  sir." 

"A  paper?    Give  it  to  me." 

The  constable  handed  Mr.  Dunn  the  paper,  which  was  an  ordi 
nary  leaf  of  note-paper,  upon  which  were  written  these  lines  in  a 
bold  and  firm  hand : 

"  I  murdered  James  Maurice,  taking  him,  in  the  darkness,  for 
John  Maurice — a  man  I  hated.  I  also  altered  a  date  throwing  the 
guilt  on  Henry  Ducis.  His  son  has  discovered  everything,  and  a 
woman  who  recognized  me  at  the  time  of  the  murder  will  probably 
be  called  to  testify.  All  is  over,  therefore,  and  an  easy  death  by 
opium  is  better  than  a  death  on  the  gallows. 

"  It  is  not  much,  as  there  is  no  hereafter.  Life  is  a  dream,  and  I 
only  wake  from  it,  to  fall  asleep  not  to  wake.  All  my  trouble  came 
from  a  woman.  I  was  a  fool  to  murder  two  men  for  such  a  nothing, 
when  I  had  my  birds  and  bees.  LESNER." 

Mr.  Dunn  read  this  note  slowly,  and  then  passed  it  across  to 
Mr.  Shirley.  That  gentleman  perused  it  with  similar  calmness,  and 
simply  said : 

"  I  presume  you  will  direct  a  nolle  prosequi  to  be  entered,  sir, 
under  the  circumstances  ?  " 

"As  to  Col.  Ross,  of  course.  I  will  indict  the  other  accused 
persons  for  grand  larceny,  and  misprision  of  felony." 


244 


AT  PRESENT. 


Mr.  Shirley  bowed  and  rose.  He  and  Mr.  Dunn  exchanged 
looks.  It  was  probable  that  they  regretted  not  having  crossed 
weapons  as  adversaries  worthy  of  each  other. 

An  hour  afterward  the  court-house  was  deserted,  and  Col.  Ross, 
cheered  by  sympathizing  friends,  was  driven  home. 

On  the  next  day  it  was  announced  in  the  "  Abbeyville  Gazette  " 
that  our  respected  fellow-citizen,  Col.  Ferdinand  Ross,  who  had 
been  subjected  to  great  inconvenience  by  a  groundless  charge 
brought  against*  him,  had  returned  to  Washington  on  public  busi 
ness.  Every  respectable  citizen  rejoiced  at  his  success  in  repelling 
the  calumnies  circulated  against  him,  and  he  was  followed  by  the 
good  wishes  of  the  entire  community. 

A  month  afterward  the  same  paper  announced  that  its  favorite 
had  left  the  United  States  for  South  America,  where  important  in 
terests  demanded  his  presence. 

As  to  the  sole  written  document  which  might  have  cast  a  shadow 
on  the  fair  fame  of  Col.  Ross — that  had  either  been  destroyed  by 
Prof.  Lesner  as  amounting  to  nothing ;  or  if  carried  in  his  pocket 
was  buried  with  him. 


XVIII. 
AT  PRESENT. 

As  the  event  here  related  occurred  in  the  year  1880,  they  do  not 
mount  to  a  very  remote  antiquity,  even  in  an  age  which  lives  as  fast 
as  our  own. 

They  nevertheless  seem  very  far  away  already  from  the  actors 
in  them. 

After  the  storm  comes  the  calm;  after  struggle,  peace;  and 
whatever  any  one  may  say,  peace  is  better  than  war. 

General  Henry  Haworth  Ducis  is  married  to  Miss  Cary  Mau 
rice  ;  and  Mr.  Jean  Baptiste  Maurice  has  discovered  that  Miss  Carry 
Fenton,  otherwise  Miss  Giorgione,  had  never  meant  to  send  him 
away  from  Lima  in  that  heartless  manner.  They  have  just  been 
united  and  reside  at  Mauricewood,  which  it  is  reasonable  to  sup 
pose  will  become  their  property  at  Mrs.  Maurice's  death.  As  to 
General  and  Mrs.  Ducis,  they  live  at  the  old  Ducis  estate,  and,  as 
far  as  any  one  can  perceive,  the  young  lady  with  the  blue  eyes  and 
banged  hair  has  never  regretted  the  result  of  her  horseback  accident. 


AT  PRESENT. 


245 


Mr.  Burdette  has  been  back  twice.  He  says  he  is  fond  of  the 
South,  because  the  people  there  laugh  out  in  a  natural  manner  when 
anything  amuses  them,  and  take  life  easy,  which  he  thinks  is  the 
best  way  to  take  it.  He  himself  always  does — he  is  never  in  a 
hurry,  as  he  never  rejects  a  manuscript  under  any  circumstances. 
He  also  never  allows  business  to  annoy  him  in  any  manner — and 
especially  avoids  all  connection  with  it  when  he  is  traveling. 

Gen.  Ducis  is  always  extremely  glad  to  see  him,  and  he  always 
stops,  on  his  flying  trips.  When  he  goes  over  to  Mauricewood  to 
interview  the  young  couple  there,  he  invariably  recalls  the  scene 
when  he  bestowed  his  benediction,  and  says  to  Jean : 

"  Are  you  as  fond  as  ever  of  poking  around  Giorgione  ?  " 

Judge  Bootlack  is  still  an  ornament  to  the  bench,  and  has  but 
one  thorn  in  the  flesh — Mr.  Dunn.  As  to  the  Wilkins  people,  they 
were  convicted  of  larceny,  and  are  in  the  State  prison. 

Of  the  person  who  has  passed  in  this  history  under  the  name  of 
Dr.  Haworth,  it  may  be  said  that  he  is  quite  a  different  person  now. 
The  result  of  the  trial  lifted  a  great  weight  from  him,  and  he  is  ten 
years  younger  and  altogether  happier.  He  has  disposed  of  his 
property  at  Lima  and  become  a  citizen  of  the  United  States,  which 
he  thinks  is  a  better  country  than  South  America. 


THE    END. 


